Stellar freshman JuJu Watkins has helped USC climb the AP Top 25 to the team’s best ranking in 29 years.
The Trojans moved up to sixth in the Associated Press women’s basketball poll Monday, its highest mark since the 1994 season when they reached No. 4. Watkins has been a huge reason why, already with three 30-point-plus games this season to match the school record for freshmen held by Trojan greats Lisa Leslie and Paula McGee.
“We had a challenging schedule early, and we met those challenges,” USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb said. “Obviously JuJu is so phenomenal, to see her adapt to the college game and adapt as quickly is so impressive.”
South Carolina remained the unanimous choice at No. 1 from the 36-member national media panel. The Gamecocks cruised to two easy wins over the Thanksgiving holiday.
UCLA, Stanford, Iowa and NC State round out the top five.
UCLA, Stanford…
