The Oregon Ducks pulled off a surprise 71-66 upset over the USC Trojans Tuesday, an especially incredible achievement considering USC had — and lost — a 16-point halftime lead during the game. It turns out the Ducks were inspired in part by Oregon graduate Sabrina Ionescu, who attended the game alongside her husband
Oregon's coach Kelly Graves told reporters after the game that Ionescu took it upon herself to address the locker room at halftime. "It's really funny because she said the exact same thing I wanted to say," Graves explained. "I gave her first crack at it, and she walked in, and I was thinking, 'Damn, [Sabrina], I would have said the exact same thing.' It was good to have her here on a night like this."
Ionescu's speech inspired the Ducks to hold USC standout Jazzy Davidson, who scored 10 points during the first half of the game, to one basket during the second half. The Ducks had a 26-8 fourth quarter that included a 14-point run that brought the game to an end and the Trojans to their knees.
USC's season is uncertain with the absence of JuJu Watkins
Part of the reason the Trojans are struggling this season is the team is reorienting themselves to play without star JuJu Watkins, who tore her ACL during the NCAA Tournament at the end of the 2024-25 season. Watkins is currently rehabbing the injury, but is expected to miss the entire 2025-26 season.
The Trojans also recently suffered a disappointing 80-46 loss to UCLA, a reality that has opened up the possibility that the team should take this season to focus more on its freshmen and sophomores. As previously noted by High Post Hoops, that means the team is likely to experience more disappointing losses — but, hopefully, they will come out stronger for it.
JuJu Watkins offered an injury update in mid-December
In mid-December ESPN reported Watkins had returned to "light" workouts approximately nine months after suffering her initial injury. Watkins announced she would miss the 2025-26 NCAA season in September so that she could focus on her rehabilitation.
Watkins previously attended the Team USA basketball camp in Durham, North Carolina, in December, but did not participate in on-court activity. Watkins did take the opportunity to grow her leadership skills — something the camp, which was also attended by a host of WNBA newcomers and veterans, could provide in spades.