LOS ANGELES (AP) — JuJu Watkins and her Southern California teammates have had plenty of time to stew and then get over their loss to rival UCLA in the Big Ten Tournament title game.
Nearly two weeks later, the top-seeded Trojans (28-3) are eager to return to their winning ways in March Madness.
They host 16th-seeded UNC Greensboro (25-6) in a first-round game Saturday at Galen Center, where the Trojans were 14-1 in the regular season.
“It’s been about urgency in each moment because it is a one-and-done situation, but still a confidence that we have everything that we need,” USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb said. “So a lot of our last two weeks have been about technical things and also about mindset. We can be one of the top teams that still has room for growth and that’s an exciting thing.”
Watkins led her team to the Elite Eight last year, losing to Paige Bueckers and UConn. In December, the Trojans beat UConn by two points. If both teams advance, they could face each other again in the Spokane Regional.
First, though, the Trojans face the Spartans, who were the Southern Conference regular season and tournament champions, earning the program's second-ever NCAA Tournament appearance.
All eyes will be on Watkins, who is 79 points away from breaking Kelsey Mitchell's two-year scoring total of 1,762. The star guard already surpassed Caitlin Clark's two-year total of 1,662 points when she had 29 in the Big Ten title game loss.
Watkins' will to win is well-known, but she sees the same commitment in her teammates.
“I think that’s really important,” she said. “Every day people come in here ready to go and it’s something that pushes me to be better. The sky’s the limit for this team, for sure.”
In Saturday's second game, eighth-seeded California (25-8) plays No. 9 seed Mississippi State (21-11).
California joined the ACC from the West Coast-based Pac-12 this season. That meant trips to Clemson, Duke, Wake Forest and Virginia.
Toss in visits to Louisville and Notre Dame, plus the ACC Tournament in North Carolina, and the Golden Bears racked up their share of mileage.
To get to their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2019, however, they jumped on a short flight from the San Francisco Bay area to Los Angeles. No time changes necessary.
“We'll have a lot of support,” forward Marta Suárez said. “At least a little bit more than in Greensboro, you know?”
Coach Charmin Smith said the team oversold its block of tickets this week.
When Watkins needs to get her mind off basketball, she streams “Severance,” a science fiction psychological thriller.
Gottlieb took a night off ahead of March Madness to attend a Cleveland Cavaliers game against the Los Angeles Clippers this week. Gottlieb was an assistant for the NBA team from 2019-2021 before leaving for the Trojans.
“With everything going on in my head to just watch a game and to kind of be a fan and just watch what chemistry on the bench looks like, watch what those two high-level teams are doing,” Gottlieb said. “That kind of gets me in my zone when I can just take basketball from a different perspective.”
Cavs guard Darius Garland told Gottlieb how proud he is of her. Assistant Mike Gerrity, a USC grad, said he's rooting for the Trojans.
“It shows how locked in people are on women’s basketball and what we’re doing here,” Gottlieb said. “They don't try to give suggestions on what to run or what to do. They’re just supportive.”
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.
Notre Dame guard Cassandre Prosper (8) tries to shoot between California forward Ugonne Onyiah (0) and guard Ioanna Krimili (21) during an NCAA college basketball game in the quarterfinals of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament Greensboro, N.C., Friday, March 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)
U.S. President Donald Trump says Iran has proposed negotiations after his threat to strike the Islamic Republic as an ongoing crackdown on demonstrators has led to hundreds of deaths.
Trump said late Sunday that his administration was in talks to set up a meeting with Tehran, but cautioned that he may have to act first as reports mount of increasing deaths and the government continues to arrest protesters.
“The meeting is being set up, but we may have to act because of what’s happening before the meeting. But a meeting is being set up. Iran called, they want to negotiate,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One on Sunday night.
Iran did not acknowledge Trump’s comments immediately. It has previously warned the U.S. military and Israel would be “legitimate targets” if America uses force to protect demonstrators.
The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, which has accurately reported on past unrest in Iran, gave the death toll. It relies on supporters in Iran cross checking information. It said at least 544 people have been killed so far, including 496 protesters and 48 people from the security forces. It said more than 10,600 people also have been detained over the two weeks of protests.
With the internet down in Iran and phone lines cut off, gauging the demonstrations from abroad has grown more difficult. Iran’s government has not offered overall casualty figures.
The Latest:
A witness told the AP that the streets of Tehran empty at the sunset call to prayers each night.
Part of that stems from the fear of getting caught in the crackdown. Police sent the public a text message that warned: “Given the presence of terrorist groups and armed individuals in some gatherings last night and their plans to cause death, and the firm decision to not tolerate any appeasement and to deal decisively with the rioters, families are strongly advised to take care of their youth and teenagers.”
Another text, addressed “Dear parents,” which claimed to come from the intelligence arm of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, also directly warned people not to take part in demonstrations.
The witness spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity due to the ongoing crackdown.
—- By Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Iran drew tens of thousands of pro-government demonstrators to the streets Monday in a show of power after nationwide protests challenging the country’s theocracy.
Iranian state television showed images of demonstrators thronging Tehran toward Enghelab Square in the capital.
It called the demonstration an “Iranian uprising against American-Zionist terrorism,” without addressing the underlying anger in the country over the nation’s ailing economy. That sparked the protests over two weeks ago.
State television aired images of such demonstrations around the country, trying to signal it had overcome the protests, as claimed by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi earlier in the day.
China says it opposes the use of force in international relations and expressed hope the Iranian government and people are “able to overcome the current difficulties and maintain national stability.”
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said Monday that Beijing “always opposes interference in other countries’ internal affairs, maintains that the sovereignty and security of all countries should be fully protected under international law, and opposes the use or threat of use of force in international relations.”
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz condemned “in the strongest terms the violence that the leadership in Iran is directing against its own people.”
He said it was a sign of weakness rather than strength, adding that “this violence must end.”
Merz said during a visit to India that the demonstrators deserve “the greatest respect” for the courage with which “they are resisting the disproportional, brutal violence of Iranian security forces.”
He said: “I call on the Iranian leadership to protect its population rather than threatening it.”
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman on Monday suggested that a channel remained open with the United States.
Esmail Baghaei made the comment during a news conference in Tehran.
“It is open and whenever needed, through that channel, the necessary messages are exchanged,” he said.
However, Baghaei said such talks needed to be “based on the acceptance of mutual interests and concerns, not a negotiation that is one-sided, unilateral and based on dictation.”
The semiofficial Fars news agency in Iran, which is close to the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, on Monday began calling out Iranian celebrities and leaders on social media who have expressed support for the protests over the past two weeks, especially before the internet was shut down.
The threat comes as writers and other cultural leaders were targeted even before protests. The news agency highlighted specific celebrities who posted in solidarity with the protesters and scolded them for not condemning vandalism and destruction to public property or the deaths of security forces killed during clashes. The news agency accused those celebrities and leaders of inciting riots by expressing their support.
Canada said it “stands with the brave people of Iran” in a statement on social media that strongly condemned the killing of protesters during widespread protests that have rocked the country over the past two weeks.
“The Iranian regime must halt its horrific repression and intimidation and respect the human rights of its citizens,” Canada’s government said on Monday.
Iran’s foreign minister claimed Monday that “the situation has come under total control” after a bloody crackdown on nationwide protests in the country.
Abbas Araghchi offered no evidence for his claim.
Araghchi spoke to foreign diplomats in Tehran. The Qatar-funded Al Jazeera satellite news network, which has been allowed to work despite the internet being cut off in the country, carried his remarks.
Iran’s foreign minister alleged Monday that nationwide protests in his nation “turned violent and bloody to give an excuse” for U.S. President Donald Trump to intervene.
Abbas Araghchi offered no evidence for his claim, which comes after over 500 have been reported killed by activists -- the vast majority coming from demonstrators.
Araghchi spoke to foreign diplomats in Tehran. The Qatar-funded Al Jazeera satellite news network, which has been allowed to work despite the internet being cut off in the country, carried his remarks.
Iran has summoned the British ambassador over protesters twice taking down the Iranian flag at their embassy in London.
Iranian state television also said Monday that it complained about “certain terrorist organization that, under the guise of media, spread lies and promote violence and terrorism.” The United Kingdom is home to offices of the BBC’s Persian service and Iran International, both which long have been targeted by Iran.
A huge crowd of demonstrators, some waving the flag of Iran, gathered Sunday afternoon along Veteran Avenue in LA’s Westwood neighborhood to protest against the Iranian government. Police eventually issued a dispersal order, and by early evening only about a hundred protesters were still in the area, ABC7 reported.
Los Angeles is home to the largest Iranian community outside of Iran.
Los Angeles police responded Sunday after somebody drove a U-Haul box truck down a street crowded with the the demonstrators, causing protesters to scramble out of the way and then run after the speeding vehicle to try to attack the driver. A police statement said one person was hit by the truck but nobody was seriously hurt.
The driver, a man who was not identified, was detained “pending further investigation,” police said in a statement Sunday evening.
Shiite Muslims hold placards and chant slogans during a protest against the U.S. and show solidarity with Iran in Lahore, Pakistan, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)
Activists carrying a photograph of Reza Pahlavi take part in a rally supporting protesters in Iran at Lafayette Park, across from the White House, in Washington, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
Activists take part in a rally supporting protesters in Iran at Lafayette Park, across from the White House in Washington, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
Protesters burn the Iranian national flag during a rally in support of the nationwide mass demonstrations in Iran against the government in Paris, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
