Purdue women's basketball report: USC preview, JuJu Watkins visits Mackey Arena
The Boilermakers are seeking their first Big Ten victory after seven straight defeats
Before jumping into Wednesday’s matchup, a thought about Tuesday’s loss by the Purdue men’s basketball team to Ohio State. It snapped a seven-game winning streak and ended a long home-court winning streak at 26. But if you watched the game, you had to notice the Boilermakers lost their legs in the second half. Purdue led by 16 late in the first half and 13 at halftime. Ohio State came out aggressive and attacked the Boilermakers after halftime. Purdue didn’t have a response until later but still couldn’t hold off the Buckeyes, who scored 15 straight points and secured the game with free throws. This will sound like an excuse, but it’s the reality in the new Big Ten. Flying two time zones and getting only two days off will hurt teams. Purdue returned from the Pacific Northwest late Saturday night and had two days prep for the Buckeyes. The coaches have asked to have two days between games, and that’s what Purdue had. The travel did take something out of the Boilermakers, whether they want to admit it or not. The women’s team did get an extra day before taking on USC after the trip to Oregon and Washington. It may not factor into Wednesday’s game because of the opponent, but it’s something to track. One solution is to give teams at least three days between games when flying at least two time zones, whether it’s East to West or West to East. UCLA men’s coach Mick Cronin is still complaining about his team’s schedule that took them to Nebraska, back to Los Angeles, and then to Maryland and Rutgers during a 10-day period. It’s unlikely the Big Ten and its TV partners will budge on this. The season is already compact, and adding extra days off doesn’t align with TV’s wishes. And we all know who’s funding the athletic departments across the conference.
PREVIEW
A snapshot look at Wednesday’s matchup between the Women of Troy and the Boilermakers at Mackey Arena:
Time: 7 p.m. (ET)
Watch: Peacock
Listen: 95.3 BOB-FM
WHAT’S AT STAKE
USC will be looking to extend its 13-game winning streak, protect its No. 4 ranking, and keep pace with UCLA atop the Big Ten standings during its first trip to West Lafayette. The Bruins and Women of Troy are the last remaining unbeaten teams in conference play. The Boilermakers are still searching for their first Big Ten victory and pick up a win for the first time in a month.
ABOUT USC
• Improved to 17-1 and 7-0 in conference play after Saturday’s win at Indiana. Both marks are the best since the 1993-94 season for the program. The lone loss was against Notre Dame in late November.
• Last year, Iowa’s Caitlin Clark made an appearance at Mackey Arena. This year, it’s JuJu Watkins, the Big Ten Preseason Player of the Year and one of the frontrunners for National Player of the Year. The Boilermakers faced another candidate 15 days ago when 6-foot-7 center Lauren Bettis led UCLA to victory at Mackey Arena. Watkins’ list of accomplishments in less than two years into her career is extensive, but she leads the Big Ten and ranks third nationally in scoring (25.3) as a starting point. Watkins has scored 20 or more points in 44 of her 52 career games and hit at least one 3-pointer in 13 straight games. Her debut as a freshman produced 32 points against Ohio State, and she was one year away from playing in the Big Ten. Her first name is Judea. There’s plenty more if you want to take a deep dive.
“There's not enough words to really describe her,” Purdue coach Katie Gearlds said. “What she does on a basketball floor, she never gets rattled. She makes tough plays, makes free throws, makes shots, and scores at all three levels. Great size and can post you up elite in a ball screen, so like there's not anything she can't do.”
• One more nugget about Watkins as it applies to Wednesday’s game: She’s attempted more free throws (148) than Purdue has made (144).
• When Clark played in West Lafayette last year, the game was a sellout. That was the norm throughout the Big Ten, but Purdue isn’t expecting one on Wednesday. Watkins and USC average 10,467 in four Big Ten road games, and the arenas are about 75% filled. Watkins is worth the price.
• This team is more than just Watkins. Graduate transfer Kiki Iriafen has scored in double figures in all 18 games along with Watkins. Iriafen, who transferred from Stanford, is second in the Big Ten with 78 offensive rebounds. She’s shooting 51.4% from the field.
“They're pretty solid,” Gearlds said. “She's got great pieces around her that allow JuJu to be JuJu. Her ability to elevate everybody around her is elite. Not everybody has that gift, but JuJu has that.”
• The Boilermakers have faced some of the league’s top freshmen, and Kennedy Smith joins the list. Smith - along with five other players - comprised the nation’s No. 1 recruiting class. McDonald’s All-Americans. Gatorade Players of the Year. The six all come from different states or countries. Smith is from California. Vivian Iwuchukwu is a native of Nigeria. Kayleigh Heckel scored over 2,000 points in New York. Avery Howell was the Player of the Year in Idaho and is from Canada. Rian Forestier and Laura Williams were the No. 1 players from Texas and Virginia, respectively. They all have the opportunity to play with Watkins. And USC isn’t done. Jasmine "Jazzy" Davidson, the No. 2 recruit in the 2025 class, signed the Women of Troy in November.
• Long-time Purdue women’s basketball fans might remember Beth Burns, who served as Ohio State’s head coach from 1997-2001. Burns is in her third season as associate head coach under Lindsay Gottlieb and sixth overall with the program. Burns brought the Buckeyes to a sold-out Mackey Arena for Senior Day in 1999, honoring legends Ukari Figgs and Stephanie White. The Boilermakers led by 30 at halftime and won by 30.
ABOUT PURDUE
• Another daunting task. For the sixth time in the last eight Big Ten games, a ranked team is the opponent. And the Boilermakers are facing another team that can win the national championship. After Wednesday’s game, Purdue will have played the top four teams in this week’s AP poll - UCLA, South Carolina, Notre Dame, and USC. Those four teams have been ranked Nos. 1-4 for five straight weeks. The Boilermakers are playing their ninth-ranked team, which is the most in the country.
“People wonder, ‘Who's the best team in the country?” Gearlds said. “Well, (Wednesday) night, I'll be able to tell you. We've played all four of them.”
• The six-game losing streak and the 0-7 start to Big Ten play has brought its share of emotions.
“Our kids, they’re frustrated, they're pissed, they’re hurt,” Gearlds said. “They're still together. You walk into our practices, there's no way you see that we've lost seven games in the Big Ten the way we have, and you wouldn't think it. We’ve got a group that's connected and together and trying to find a way to push through it the best that they can.”
• It’s not just one area hurting the Boilermakers during this losing streak. One that stands out is turnovers, and the number of points opponents score off the mistakes. Purdue has been outscored in the points off turnovers category in the last six games—an average of 20.8. If one item must be cleaned up, it’s the turnovers. The Boilermakers are averaging 18.8 turnovers during this stretch, and the first quarter (6.3 turnovers) has been a problem. The first 10 minutes have put Purdue in a hole that’s been hard to escape.
“Just got to figure out a way to withstand the first quarter,” Gearlds said. “It's usually been the first punch for everybody against us. Once we find a way to settle in, we actually do a good job. Ultimately, trying to figure out a way to make sure we start games better.”
• McKenna Layden has taken advantage of her increased minutes. In her first two career starts, the sophomore totaled 16 points and 16 rebounds in the last two games. Since the start of 2025, Layden has averaged 6.8 points, 5.4 rebounds and connected on 10 3-pointers.
• Rashunda Jones is shooting 60.5% from the field in Big Ten games.
• Sophie Swanson missed the loss at Washington because of an illness but is expected to be available on Wednesday.
PRESSING QUESTION
When will the demanding schedule pay off with a victory? Probably not Wednesday, but the Boilermakers face Illinois and Nebraska to close out January. The two teams are in the middle of the Big Ten, and Purdue could pull a surprise but can’t afford any more slow starts. February’s schedule softens, but the Boilermakers can’t take any team for granted.
IF WE CUT OUR PASSES DOWN— TAKE THE SHOT WHEN IT IS THERE—- AND THIS WILL HAVE A BIG EFFECT ON OUR ERRORS— I THINK THAT THRU THE LOSS OF CONFIDENCE IS THE REASON WE SOMETIMES WON’T TAKE A GOOD SHOT—- I’LL TAKE A MISSED SHOT ANY DAY TO AN ERROR—- THANK YOU FOR READING— ED FROM WANAMAKER
I WRITE A COMMENT EVERY TIME AND I’M PRETTY CONSISTANT ON WHAT I SAY—-PURDUE HAS TO PUT A MORE ATHLETIC TEAM ON THE FLOOR FROM THE START—WE CAN’T KEEP DOING THE SAME THING AND EXPECT DIFFERENT RESULTS—-IT WON’T HAPPEN—IF WE WANT TO CONTROL THE BOARDS— IT ISN’T OUR TALLEST PLAYERS THAT. WE NEED— IT’S THE MOST ATHLETIC—5’7’ TO 6 FOOT SOMEONE THAT CAN JUMP— NEXT— WE HAVE SCORERS ON THIS TEAM— LOOK AT H-SCHOOL STATS— NOW THEY CAN’T SCORE ?—-NOT IN MY BOOK— AND WE HAVE TO TAKE THE SHOTS WHEN THEY ARE THERE —QUIT MAKING 6 MORE PASSES AND RUN THE CLOCK DOWN AND MAYBE THROW THE BALL AWAY—. — WE GET THE BALL UNDER NEATH—- GUESS WHAT— OUT TO THE CENTER COURT AGAIN— WHY ? THREE FEET FROM THE BUCKET ISN’T A GOOD PERCENTAGE SHOT— IT IS—- TAKE IT— TO WIN IN ALMOST ANY GAME YOU NEED 3 PLAYERS IN DOUBLE FIGURES— USUALLY WE HAVE BUT ONE PLAYER WITH MORE THAN 10 POINTS— WON’T WORK— LISTEN— BASKETBALL IS SIMPLE —YOU’RE ON OFFENCE OR ON DEFENCE—-PERIOD ! TO WIN WE NEED TO SCORE-15 POINTS OR MORE A QUARTER — LOOK AT THE SCORES—THAT’S IT—- GO BOILERS !!!