Unlike the NBA, which has allowed NCAA athletes to leave college early to go pro for more than 50 years, the WNBA bans anyone in the U.S. from entering the draft before the year they turn 22 or graduate early .
Until recently, there wasn’t much discussion about whether the WNBA should copy the NBA’s approach. Now, an influx of nationally recognized talent, like USC’s sophomore star guard JuJu Watkins, has made the debate more intense. Watkins, who cannot enter the WNBA until 2027 under current regulations, said Saturday night before the showdown with UConn that changes need to be made.
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“I definitely think we should have that option [to leave early],” Watkins said as a guest on the Good game with Sarah Spain podcast. “There’s been such growth in college basketball where you think, ‘Why would you want to leave?’ Because you can also have that experience here in college and build your brand. I would definitely say we should have that option, but I think college is also a way to prepare for the pros. So I know Not. It’s a sensitive topic, but I’m for it.”
Watkins isn’t the only highly touted draft prospect who arrived Saturday in Hartford, Conn. will play.
When the dynamic sophomore guard leads the No. 7 Trojans into battle against Paige Bueckers and the No. 4 UConn Huskies on Fox, it will be the rare occasion that the two best-known stars in women’s basketball face each other in the regular season, reminiscent of the heyday of the UConn-Tennessee rivalry in the 1990s and 2000s.
Bueckers could leave for the WNBA after this season – and would likely be the best choice – but does have the option to return for 2025-2026. She has history against Watkins.
They faced each other in last year’s Elite Eight game (UConn won 80-73), and then both schools quickly scheduled a home-and-home series between each other, with Saturday’s game at Hartford’s XL Center the arrangement closed before next season’s tilt. at USC.
“There is something unique and special about a home-and-home series because it not only appeals to the national TV audience, but also to the fan bases of the respective schools,” Trojans head coach Lindsay Gottlieb said in a statement in May. “UConn vs. USC will challenge our players in a great environment on each coast over the next two seasons. What a great series to be a part of.”
The match in Hartford will give the country a glimpse into the future of the WNBA and create knowledge that the star duo can transfer to the pros.
Bueckers is the presumptive top overall pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft, seemingly destined for the Dallas Wings unless she chooses to return to Storrs for a sixth year of eligibility. (She gained additional years due to the COVID-19 pandemic and a redshirt season after tearing her ACL in 2022.) Absent the W requirement that players must have graduated in at least three years or be 22 should grow old before the draft, Watkins herself could be in line for the overall top pick, such has been her impact on the sport.
The ability to retain elite players for at least three years, and usually four, has seemingly helped build stars on campus and across the country. As the sport becomes more scrutinized, fans are more willing than ever to pay big bucks to attend matches featuring the best of the best.
JuJu vs. Paige is as good as it gets.
According to Victory Live, a company that tracks the secondary ticket market, the average resale price for the USC/UConn game is $127, the highest ever for a UConn women’s basketball home game. The previous record was set in February 2023, when the Huskies hosted South Carolina. Resale prices for UConn women’s basketball at the XL Center were already on the rise, averaging $57 so far this season, an increase of $5 compared to the same period last season. Still, Saturday’s match is more than double (223% to be precise) the current average.
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