Senior guard Lucy Olsen scored a game-high 28 points for Iowa Hawkeyes in the 76-69 upset over guard JuJu Watkins and Southern California Trojans.
The Hawkeyes built a strong lead and held the Trojans to four points in the first quarter before Watkins rallied USC late in the second quarter to take a lead into the locker room at halftime.
Olsen scored 15 points in the fourth to help close out the game in favor of the Hawkeyes in front of the home crowd at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
It’s the biggest victory for the unranked Hawkeyes in the post-Caitlin Clark era. The Trojans entered the game No. 4 in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll.
The Hawkeyes retired Clark’s No. 22 jersey after the game. Fans, many wearing Clark’s No. 22, were lined up to get into the arena and rushed in when doors opened two hours before the game. Each fan got a yellow towel with a black screenshot of Clark’s No. 22 jersey, the Iowa logo and 2020-2024.
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‘It’s been fun looking back on this whole past year and everything that’s been able to happen. Just the journey we went on,’ Clark said.
USA TODAY Sports will have all the action from the Big Ten contest. Follow along for news, scores and highlights of the action:
Caitlin Clark’s jersey number now hangs in rafters
Iowa honored Caitlin Clark after the upset victory over USC. Clark led the Hawkeyes to back-to-back national championship game appearances.
‘I’m pretty overwhelmed but there are so many people to thank,’ Clark said during the ceremony.
The Iowa legend thanked her teammates and acknowledged that while it was her jersey hanging in the rafters it was a group effort to help get her where she is.
Iowa athletic director Beth Goetz also provided Clark with a commemorative basketball.
‘We all knew that we would be standing here with you and watching your dreams come true but also making the dreams of all that are with us and watching from afar come true,’ Goetz said. ‘In sports, retiring a jersey number is for the best of the best. The elite. Those whose accomplishments are never forgotten and you have taken us on an incredible journey and perhaps it was always the destiny that the homegrown generational talent was going to have her jersey in the rafters someday.’
‘I love when we play in front of a big crowd,’ USC star JuJu Watkins shared after the game. ‘That was what today was. Just the energy from everybody, it was electrifying.
‘It’s a testament to what Caitlin’s done and the direction the sport is headed in. Super grateful to have a part in it and to be able to showcase my talents and what the women’s game can do.’
Iowa also shared a video package with various fans that spoke about the impact Clark had on their lives and the inspiration she had been to all of them during her college career.
A fulfilled prophecy
Before Clark’s jersey was retired, former Iowa coach Lisa Bluder recalled a time when she came into the gym and saw her guard shooting. She noticed Clark looking up at the jerseys in the rafters and told her, ‘Caitlin, someday your name is going to be up there, your jersey is going to be up there. Today is that day, Caitlin.’
– Nancy Armour
Final: Iowa 76, USC 69
The Hawkeyes knock off the No. 4 Trojans at home. Lucy Olsen had 28 points, four rebounds and four assists for Iowa.
Sydney Affolter nearly produced a double-double with 11 points and nine rebounds for the Hawkeyes while Hannah Stuelke had 10 points and five rebounds.
JuJu Watkins had 27 points, five rebounds and three assists while KiKi Iriafen added 13 points and eight rebounds for the Trojans.
Iowa leads USC late in fourth
The Hawkeyes lead the Trojans 67-60 with 4:20 left in the final period of regulation. Lucy Olsen stole the ball from KiKi Iriafen before running down the other end for a layup. Iowa has 17 points off turnovers (USC has turned the ball over 18 times). USC has 14 points off turnovers (Iowa has 16 turnovers).
End of 3rd quarter: Iowa 51, USC 50
JuJu Watkins scored 23 points through the first three quarters of play, making 6-of-17 shots from the field and going 10 of 11 from the free throw line.
Lucy Olsen had 13 points for Iowa through three quarters of play but had a quiet second quarter after going 0-for-3 from the field and 1-for-2 from the free throw line. Olsen turned things around in the third quarter after she went 3-for-4 from the field and made both free throw attempts to finish with eight points.
Just like Caitlin did
During a third-quarter timeout, an Iowa fan was given the chance to make a 3-pointer from Clark’s ‘spot’ on the floor, where she hit a 3-pointer to become the all-time leading scorer in women’s basketball. (She would later break Pete Maravich’s major-college basketball record.)
The fan missed several shots, with most not even coming close. ‘It’s a lot further than it looks,’ the PA announcer said. But finally, with about 10 seconds left, he swished one, prompting Clark to raise her hands from her seat in the stands.
– Nancy Armour
Caitlin Clark thankful for return to Iowa
Caitlin Clark joined the Fox broadcast team during the third quarter to talk about her jersey retirement ceremony, the Super Bowl and more.
She also spoke about how grateful she was to return to Iowa over the weekend and how she became emotional walking into Carver-Hawkeye Arena before the game.
The Hawkeyes remained competitive with JuJu Watkins and the Trojans through the third period.
‘I’m really impressed with our defense,’ Clark said. ‘I told them yesterday, JuJu is gonna make hard shots. Don’t hang your head, just get back and make a shot.’
Iowa back in the lead early in third quarter
Iowa and USC exchange the lead throughout the early minutes of the third quarter. The Hawkeyes lead the Trojans 33-32 with 8:20 left in the third quarter.
First half highlights: Iowa vs. USC
Halftime: USC 29, Iowa 28
JuJu Watkins and USC complete the late first-half rally to lead Iowa at the break. Watkins produced the last 10 points for the Trojans, including the final four points in the last 20 seconds of the second quarter to take the lead into the locker room.
Her second layup was made as she sprinted down the court after stealing the ball from Aaliyah Guyton. Watkins scored a game-high 18 points for the Trojans in the first half. Taylor McCabe led the Hawkeyes with nine points.
JuJu Watkins continues to help close the gap
JuJu Watkins scored a pair of free throws to make it a two-point game between Iowa and USC with 1:54 left in the second quarter.
USC manages to cut Iowa’s lead down to three
USC went on an 11-0 scoring run to crawl back into the game and trail Iowa 24-21 with 2:05 left in the second quarter.
USC’s KiKi Iriafen adds four free throws to cut into Iowa’s lead
KiKi Iriafen made four free throws to increase USC’s point total to eight in the middle of the second quarter. The Hawkeyes remain in full control of the game leading the Trojans 23-8 with 5:22 left in the period.
The band is back together in Iowa
Kate Martin and Gabbie Marshall, who along with Clark formed the core of the teams that made back-to-back national championship games, were on hand for the retirement of Clark’s jersey. Marshall accompanied Clark to her pre-game news conference while Martin was introduced between the first and second quarters.
– Nancy Armour
End of 1st quarter: Iowa 18, USC 4
Iowa allowed just one point through most of the first quarter before JuJu Watkins made a three-pointer with 26 seconds left in the opening period. Iowa has won the turnover battle 7-3 in the first quarter with the Hawkeyes having 11 of their first-quarter points off turnovers.
Familiar faces in the crowd for Iowa
Former Iowa coach Lisa Bluder is attending the Hawkeyes’ game against USC. Bluder was Clark’s coach at Iowa. Bluder retired after the 2024 season.
She is sitting next to former late-night television talk show host David Letterman. Bluder developed a friendship with Letterman after attending a game involving the Indiana Fever, Clark’s WNBA team.
Iowa starts fast against JuJu Watkins and Iowa
The Hawkeyes start the game on an 11-1 scoring run with six minutes left in the first quarter. Guard Taylor McCabe scored six of the 11 points after shooting 2-of-4 from the 3-point line.
What’s it like for Caitlin Clark to be back at Iowa?
Clark said she assumed she’d be able to spend a lot of time at Iowa this off-season, but this is only the second time she’s been back on campus. (The first was in October when her team received their Big Ten championship rings.)
‘It’s just fun for me to come back and just say `thank you’ to everybody that poured so much into me and allowed me to be great,’ Clark said. ‘None of that happens without all of those people pouring themselves into our team and our program every single day.’
Still, it’s a bit weird to be coming to the arena knowing she won’t be playing.
‘You have those butterflies in your stomach when you walk in here. Not so much for a basketball game now, but just to be around everybody and to enjoy the environment,’ Clark said. ‘You’re a little more vulnerable. I don’t have to go and compete for 40 minutes, even though I wish maybe I could.
‘It’ll definitely be a little bit more emotional that I don’t have to compete and go play for 40 minutes.’
When is the Big Ten game between USC and Iowa?
The Big Ten regular-season game women’s basketball game between the No. 4 Southern California Trojans and the Iowa Hawkeyes tips off at 1:30 p.m. ET (12:30 CT) at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa.
How to watch USC vs. Iowa game
The Big Ten regular season game between the No. 4 Southern California Trojans and the Iowa Hawkeyes will be televised nationally on FOX.
The game can be streamed on FoxSports.com and the Fox Sports app. Live streaming is also available on Fubo, which is offering a free trial.
Catch college basketball games this season with Fubo
USC vs. Iowa betting odds, line
The USC Trojans are the favorites to defeat the Iowa Hawkeyes in this Big Ten game, according to the BetMGM college basketball odds on Sunday.
Spread: USC (-15.5)
Moneyline: USC (-2000); Iowa (+1000)
Over/under: 143.5
USC vs. Iowa predictions
HawkCentral: USC 75, Iowa 65
Dargan Southard writes ‘The Hawkeyes get off to a decent start while riding the intense energy in the building, but the Trojans have too much firepower to stay grounded for 40 minutes. A down afternoon from JuJu Watkins is offset by USC’s elite depth, as the Trojans extend their winning streak to 16.’
HawkeyeInsider: USC 80, Iowa 72
Sean Bock writes ‘It’s going to be an emotional day, but this USC team is just too talented and I’m not sure if Iowa has the offensive firepower to keep up.’
Hawkeye Report: USC 77 Iowa 66
Kyle Huesmann writes ‘I think the Hawkeyes will meet the moment and give a spirited effort, but taking down the Trojans is a tall task. This feels like it could be a game where Iowa is always within reach and just a scoring run away, but USC may just make too many shots.’
USC vs. Iowa location
USC travels to Iowa City to take on Iowa in a game that will be played at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The multi-purpose home of the Hawkeyes has a capacity of 15,500.
USC vs. Iowa record
Since 1993, the USC Trojans have played Iowa twice, with the Hawkeyes holding a 2-0 record in the series during that time.
Iowa beat USC 78-65 in their last meeting, which came on Nov. 28, 2013 in Cancun, Mexico. On Dec. 30, 1993, the Hawkeyes edged the Trojans 50-49 in the USC Christmas Tournament.
NCAA women’s college basketball rankings
Here are the latest USA TODAY Sports women’s basketball coaches poll top 25 for Week 13. Records current through Jan. 30, 2025.
UCLA (20-0)
South Carolina (20-1)
Notre Dame (17-2)
USC (18-1)
LSU (21-1)
UConn (19-2)
Texas (20-2)
Ohio State (19-1)
TCU (20-2)
Duke (17-4)
Kansas State (19-2)
Oklahoma (16-4)
Kentucky (17-2)
Maryland (16-4)
North Carolina (18-4)
North Carolina State (16-4)
Michigan State (17-3)
California (18-3)
Tennessee (15-5)
West Virginia (16-4)
Georgia Tech (17-4)
Alabama (17-4)
Vanderbilt (17-4)
Florida State (16-4)
Oklahoma State (17-3)
Caitlin Clark’s financial impact
‘Caitlin Clark’s final year as a college basketball star led to record revenue for University of Iowa athletics but also added millions of dollars in extra expenditures, the school’s 2024 fiscal-year statement shows.
‘The report, which was due to be filed to the NCAA by Jan. 15 and obtained by the Des Moines Register via an open-records request, also showed that Iowa women’s basketball revenue exceeded that of the men’s team for the first time. The numbers are staggering and underscore how Clark’s senior season with the Hawkeyes became a wildly entertaining experience, both on and off the court.’
When is March Madness?
The women’s NCAA basketball tournament tips off with First Four matchups getting started on March 19. This is preceded by Selection Sunday, which is when the fun begins and we see how the brackets shape out.
Selection Sunday: Sunday, March 16
First Four: March 19-20
First round: March 21-22
Second round: March 23-24
Sweet 16: March 28-29
Elite Eight: March 30-31
Final Four: Friday, April 4 at 7 p.m. The second game will follow roughly 30 minutes after the first game ends.
NCAA championship game: Sunday, April 6 at 3 p.m. ET
Nancy Armour contributed to this story
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