JuJu Watkins struggled on offense. The refs called a lot of touch fouls on USC and allowed Maryland to hack JuJu at the other end of the court. Several USC women's basketball players got into foul trouble, which affected their defense as the game went on.

With the expansion of the Big Ten to 18 teams, the landscape of women’s basketball in the conference has changed. After years of the Maryland Terrapins, Indiana Hoosiers, Iowa Hawkeyes and Ohio State Buckeyes taking their turns at the top of the conference, the USC Trojans and UCLA Bruins came in and took over the conversation.