JuJu Watkins’ return headlines UNLV’s season-opening matchup with No. 3 USC

The UNLV Lady Rebels and coach Lindy La Rocque are set to tip off the 2026-27 season against JuJu Watkins and the No. 3 USC Trojans as part of the Hall of Fame Series at T-Mobile Arena on Monday at 1 p.m.

The Lady Rebels, coming off a 21-11 season, are seeking the program’s sixth consecutive 20-win season, all under La Rocque. The program has also won three Mountain West championships during her tenure.

The star-studded Trojans finished ninth in the Big Ten standings last season with an 18-14 record, including a 9-9 mark in conference play.

A major reason for the drop from their first-place finish and 31-4 record in 2024-25 was the absence of Watkins, who missed all of last season after tearing her ACL during the second round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament against Mississippi State.

Before the injury during her sophomore season, Watkins averaged 23.9 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game while shooting 42.6 percent from the field in 33 appearances.

Now, more than a year and a half later, the 6-foot-2-inch Los Angeles native is returning to action and receiving high praise from La Rocque ahead of UNLV’s opener.

“She is such a terrific player,” La Rocque said. “You can’t do the same thing against her back-to-back possessions because she is just so good and, really, it is not just her. It is Jazzy Davidson, it is Saniyah Hall and a number of other players.

“I think part of our game plan is that we’re going to have to mix it up in individual matchups and what we are doing defensively because you really can’t let them get comfortable.”

USC is loaded, having brought the nation’s No. 1-ranked recruit into the program in three of the past four years with Watkins, Davidson and Hall. Davidson scored a team-leading 17.9 points per game as a freshman last season. Hall makes her debut having scored a team-high 23 points in last week’s exhibition win over Cal.

Last season, the Lady Rebels ranked seventh in the Mountain West in scoring defense, allowing 62.81 points per game through 32 games. They also ranked third in the conference in field-goal percentage defense, holding opponents to 38.9 percent shooting. Forward Meadow Roland, the Mountain West preseason player of the year, made the conference’s all-defensive team last season.

Without Watkins, USC averaged 69.7 points during the 2025-26 season, ranking 14th in the Big Ten. In Watkins’ last season, the Trojans ranked first in the conference with 80.7 points per game. They also ranked second in scoring defense, allowing 59.4 points per game.

As the Trojans prepare for their meeting with the Lady Rebels, Watkins is excited to return to the Hall of Fame Series, where she made her collegiate debut in 2023 against Ohio State.

“To kind of put it in perspective, I’ve started my career here and now senior year being back in the same place is definitely full circle,” Watkins said. “I am just really grateful to be back on the floor again and I am ready to share the floor with my team again.

“Personally I love Vegas. I have been there a lot throughout my career here at USC, we have had a lot of tournaments there so it is really cool to see a lot of people come out. Continuing to bring eyes to our sport and get more people involved is just a great experience.”

Other Hall of Fame Series matchups

Women

Arizona vs. Stanford, 10:30 a.m.

The Wildcats and Cardinal open their respective seasons looking to rebound after missing the NCAA Tournament last year.

The teams last met Feb. 23, 2024, when Arizona upset then-No. 3 Stanford 68-61 on the road. Their most notable meeting came in the 2021 NCAA championship game, when Stanford edged Arizona 54-53 to claim its third national title.

Stanford leads the all-time series 74-15, but hasn’t reached the NCAA Tournament in two seasons under coach Kate Paye after Tara VanDerveer retired as the NCAA’s winningest basketball coach.

Men

No. 15 Gonzaga vs. Purdue, 4:30 p.m.

Gonzaga is now in the Pac-12, coming off a 31-win season that included West Coast Conference regular-season and tournament championships before falling in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Purdue reached the Elite Eight last year while also taking home the Big Ten tournament title.

The Boilermakers have won all five previous meetings between the teams, including an 80-68 victory in the 2024 NCAA Tournament regional semifinals. Gonzaga’s Mark Few has been head coach for four of those losses.

No. 5 Arizona vs. No. 22 UCLA, 7:30 p.m.

The Bruins and Wildcats are set to renew their longstanding rivalry.

Arizona under coach Tommy Lloyd last season made a Final Four appearance as part of a 36-3 campaign in which it captured Big 12 regular-season and tournament titles. The Wildcats return junior center Motiejus Krivas and will see standout freshman guard Caleb Holt make his debut.

UCLA finished sixth in the Big Ten with a 24-12 record last season and will look to improve in their seventh year under coach Mick Cronin.

The Wildcats have won seven of the last nine meetings between the two programs, including a 69-65 road victory last season.

Contact Donovan Hicks at [email protected]. Follow @HicksSports on X.