Defensive battle awaits JuJu Watkins and USC against Mississippi State in March Madness

By Canadian Press on March 23, 2025.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Sam Purcell turned on the TV Sunday morning and the first thing he heard was talk about a rematch between UConn and Southern California in the women’s NCAA Tournament.

Wait a doggone second, the Mississippi State coach thought.

“We’re a speed bump that happens to be here and we’re going to find a way to make it as tough a competition as we can,” he said.

JuJu Watkins and the top-seeded Trojans (29-3) face the ninth-seeded Bulldogs (21-11) in the second round Monday night. The winner advances to a regional semifinal in Spokane, Washington.

“Our last game in Galen Center for the season,” USC senior Rayah Marshall said. “We are looking to go out with a bang.”

Watkins, of course, is the centerpiece. The sophomore star had 22 points and eight rebounds in the first round as the Trojans opened their bid for a national championship.

“Honestly, it’s going to be really fun playing against a player like her who obviously has worked on her game so much and prepared at such a high level and is such a great scorer,” Mississippi State guard Chandler Prater said.

Playing its first game in nearly two weeks, USC struggled offensively in the opening quarter against UNC-Greensboro. So the Trojans brought out their “Mad Dog Press,” the brainchild of veteran assistant Beth Burns.

With Marshall at the head, the Trojans forced UNCG into 23 turnovers on their way to a 71-25 victory.

“Whoever the dog is in the front, most of the time it’s Rayah, just brings it,” freshman Avery Howell said. “Kind of starts it all for us, being loud, being big. That scare factor at the front, it’s just really energizing for our team.”

Purcell wants the Bulldogs to embrace the disruption so much that he planned to open Sunday’s practice by blocking the ball out of bounds on every player.

“If we can have the mindset that we’re going to get our shot blocked, as simple as that sounds in the women’s game and understand that I need to bounce back and still come at them, then we’ll have a fighter’s chance,” he said.

The Trojans blocked 10 shots against UNCG, led by Marshall with seven. They’ll have to contend with 6-foot-6 Madina Okot, who had 14 points and 13 rebounds in a 59-46 win over California.

“Defense is going to keep us in this game,” Bulldogs guard Jerkaila Jordan said. “Just bringing that defensive mindset or letting our defense create our offense. We’re going to bring it.”

Purcell and Burns were on the staff at Louisville together before each moved on to their current jobs.

“She’s just always been a defensive coach where she gets after it,” Purcell said. “You can see the pride that she gets mad when you give up two points.”

Jordan’s sauce

Jordan is taking NIL out of the gym and into the kitchen.

She inked a deal with former NFL and Mississippi State player Reggie Kelly’s company to produce her own sauce that’s used to top concession items at Humphrey Coliseum and also is sold by the bottle at men’s and women’s games as well as a Starkville retailer.

Jordan didn’t just slap her name and likeness on “Jerk Sauce.” She was part of the development process and selected the flavor herself, making sure it was tame enough to appeal to a variety of palates. The first batch sold out in less than a day. Jordan receives a royalty from each $12.99 bottle sold.

“Like how cool and dope is that, right?” Purcell said. “Not only does she approve it, but it actually tastes good. I am proud of her and just proud of people in Mississippi invested in women’s basketball.”

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AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-womens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here.

Beth Harris, The Associated Press

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