March 8, 2025
Big Ten Tournament notebook Day 3: USC and UCLA debut
Plus, No. 5 seed Michigan crashes the semifinal party
The big storyline on Day 3 of the Big Ten Tournament was the debuts of the No. 1 seed USC Trojans and No. 2 seed UCLA Bruins. Both teams had earned double byes into the quarterfinals.
Continue reading with a subscription to The Next
Get unlimited access to women’s basketball coverage and help support our hardworking staff of writers, editors, and photographers by subscribing today.
Already a member?
Login
Both teams have National Player of the Year contenders in USC’s JuJu Watkins and UCLA’s Lauren Betts, and both players shined on the national stage.
Here’s a look at how the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament went in Indianapolis on Friday.
The Next, a 24/7/365 women’s basketball newsroom
The Next: A basketball newsroom brought to you by The IX. 24/7/365 women’s basketball coverage, written, edited and photographed by our young, diverse staff and dedicated to breaking news, analysis, historical deep dives and projections about the game we love.
Watkins, USC survive Indiana scare
The Trojans survived a late challenge from the No. 9 seed Indiana Hoosiers to advance, 84-79. The Hoosiers had pulled within 2 points heading into the fourth quarter. But USC was able to hold them off late despite missing starting center Rayah Marshall due to illness.
Watkins paced USC with a game-high 31 points. She shot 10-for-19 from the field and got to the free-throw line 13 times. She also added 10 rebounds.
Watkins moved into second place for most 30-point games as a Trojan as she continues to rewrite the USC history books.
”I don’t really think about it much, if I’m being honest. … I just go out there and play for the team, and whatever’s needed from me, I do,” Watkins told reporters postgame about her place in USC lore. “I think it’s just a testament to the long nights in the gym and a team and a coach that really trusts in me. I’m able to play to the best of my ability.”
Despite the loss, Indiana is still safely in the NCAA Tournament. That’s a testament to how tough and how talented the Big Ten has been this season.
Indiana head coach Teri Moren is confident her team will be ready for the tournament, no matter where it’s seeded or who it faces.
”We’ve had some really good moments where we played good basketball prior to coming to Indy,” Moren told reporters postgame. “It will be a fresh new opponent for us. I think there will be a whole new level of excitement.”
Want even more women’s sports in your inbox?
Subscribe now to our sister publication The IX and receive our independent women’s sports newsletter six days a week. Learn more about your favorite athletes and teams around the world competing in soccer, tennis, basketball, golf, hockey and gymnastics from our incredible team of writers.
Readers of The Next now save 50% on their subscription to The IX.
Michigan surprises Maryland as Wolverines keep rolling
No. 5 seed Michigan’s youth shined during the Wolverines’ win over Washington in the opening round of the Big Ten Tournament. Freshmen Syla Swords and Olivia Olson both had big games as well in Michigan’s dominant 98-71 win against No. 4 seed Maryland in the quarterfinals. But it was senior Jordan Hobbs who led the way with a team-high 23 points.
Amid an offseason exodus to the transfer portal that left the Wolverines with an incredibly young roster, Hobbs was one of the few upperclassmen who decided to stick it out. After Friday’s game, Hobbs spoke about the message she sent to the team at halftime that carried over into the second half.
”My message probably wasn’t the best that it could have been. I was freaking out a little bit myself,” Hobbs told reporters. “Going into halftime, though, they were like, ‘All right, Jordan, we’re good, chill.’ They honestly helped me, which was really special.”
Maryland, which has been one of the top teams in the Big Ten all season, heads home early and will await its seeding in the NCAA Tournament. Following the game, Terrapins head coach Brenda Frese acknowledged just how prepared Michigan head coach Kim Barnes Arico’s team was.
”Kim’s done an incredible job with her team and with those freshmen. … Just to watch this team grow — again, that’s the sign of a great team,” Frese told reporters. “Credit to Kim and her staff. Phenomenal job to be able to have her team ready to play against us.”
Order ‘Rare Gems’ and save 30%
Howard Megdal, founder and editor of The Next and The IX, released his latest book on May 7, 2024. This deeply reported story follows four connected generations of women’s basketball pioneers, from Elvera “Peps” Neuman to Cheryl Reeve and from Lindsay Whalen to Sylvia Fowles and Paige Bueckers.
If you enjoy his coverage of women’s basketball every Wednesday at The IX, you will love “Rare Gems: How Four Generations of Women Paved the Way for the WNBA.” Click the link below to order and enter MEGDAL30 at checkout.
Lauren Betts’ huge game gets UCLA back on track
After UCLA lost to USC in the final game of the regular season and dropped to the No. 2 seed in the Big Ten Tournament, head coach Cori Close challenged her team to be better. While No. 10 seed Nebraska gave the Bruins a tough game on Friday, UCLA was better when it mattered down the stretch, pulling off a 85-74 win.
Betts was simply dominant on both ends of the court. She finished with a game-high 28 points, 13 rebounds, five assists and seven blocks.
The Cornhuskers had no answer for Betts as she scored at will and disrupted Nebraska’s offense on the other end. Following the game, Betts spoke about how she was challenged to step up after the USC loss.
”I just wanted to do what I had to do to win this game today, and show up for my teammates and show up for my coaches,” she told reporters. “I learned a lot from the last game, and I just wanted to kind of earn some of that trust back from my teammates and my coaches. … I’m just proud of my communication and my leadership. That’s all I really wanted to focus on today. … The stats will come, but that was my primary focus.”
Nebraska is another team that will undoubtedly make the NCAA Tournament, once again highlighting how impressive the Big Ten has been. The Huskers were a much different team on Friday than the one that was blitzed by UCLA, 91-54, in December.
Freshman guard Britt Prince was the star for Nebraska for the second consecutive game. She finished with a team-high 24 points, displaying impressive maturity for a young player on such a big stage.
Following the game, Prince acknowledged how this performance helps the Huskers as they await the NCAA Tournament.
”Obviously, the Big Ten has a lot of great teams, and I think just throughout the season we’ve gotten a lot better handling the really good teams,” Prince told reporters. “Just being this close to UCLA, they’re one of the top teams in the country, and I think we showed how we can hang with them. I think that’s really important for us and a big momentum booster heading into the rest of the season.”
Order ‘Becoming Caitlin Clark’ and save 30%
Howard Megdal, founder and editor of The Next and The IX, just announced his latest book. It captures both the historic nature of Caitlin Clark’s rise and the critical context over the previous century that helped make it possible. Interviews with Clark, Lisa Bluder (who also wrote the foreword), C. Vivian Stringer, Jan Jensen, Molly Kazmer and so many others were vital to the process.
If you enjoy his coverage of women’s basketball every Wednesday at The IX, you will love “Becoming Caitlin Clark: The Unknown Origin Story of a Modern Basketball Superstar.” Click the link below to preorder and enter MEGDAL30 at checkout.
Ohio State escapes Iowa in thrilling finish
The No. 11 seed Iowa Hawkeyes have been playing some of their best basketball of the season, and they came awfully close to continuing their run against No. 3 Ohio State. But after a pair of Cotie McMahon free throws in the final seconds of the game, Iowa’s Sydney Affolter and Hannah Stuelke both missed potential game-winning shots, and the Buckeyes escaped, 60-59.
Following the game, McMahon spoke about her clutch free throws amid a raucous crowd. She had missed two free throws earlier in the game but came through when it mattered most.
”Honestly, I didn’t really hear anything. I was kind of cussing myself out, like, ‘If I don’t make these free throws, then we’re going home.’ So I just made them,” McMahon told reporters. “It felt good. Like we’ve said before, this game is always personal. So it felt good.”
For Iowa, it’s been a fairly successful year under first-year head coach Jan Jensen. The Hawkeyes are headed to the NCAA Tournament, and Jensen spoke about how this team met the challenge despite losing key players from the previous season.
”I think these guys should feel really good,” Jensen told reporters postgame. “It was big shoes when they all started. Their shadows were looming. [Nonconference play] went pretty well, hit a little rockiness, but boy I think we should feel pretty good going into the [NCAA] Tournament. But as I felt every year, when we’re No. 1 seed or whatever we get, it’s all about the matchups. … The kids deserve it. They battled.”
Add Locked On Women’s Basketball to your daily routine
Here at The Next, in addition to the 24/7/365 written content our staff provides, we also host the daily Locked On Women’s Basketball podcast. Join us Monday through Saturday each week as we discuss all things WNBA, collegiate basketball, basketball history and much more. Listen wherever you find podcasts or watch on YouTube.
Day 4 of the Big Ten Tournament will feature semifinal games between USC and Michigan and between UCLA and Ohio State.
Written by David Mendez-Yapkowitz
David has been with The Next team since the High Post Hoops days when he joined the staff in 2018. He is based in Los Angeles and covers the LA Sparks, Pac-12 Conference, Big West Conference and some high school as well.
