In a devastating setback to USC's championship dreams, sophomore phenom JuJu Watkins tore her ACL during the team's 96-59 NCAA Tournament win against Mississippi State on Monday.
The dynamic guard crumpled to the floor with 4:43 remaining in the first quarter after bumping into Bulldogs defender Chandler Prater while driving to the basket. She had scored three points, pulled down a rebound, and handed out two assists before the injury.
"I'd be lying if I told you that I wasn't rattled seeing JuJu on the floor and crying. I mean, this is a human game. And so I tried obviously my best to be what I needed to be for the team, but internally it's a lot," said head coach Lindsay Gottlieb to the Los Angeles Times.
The second-seeded Trojans will face No. 5 Kansas State in the Sweet 16 at Spokane. Forward Kiki Iriafen picked up the slack with a huge 36-point game after Watkins went down.
The star guard put up incredible numbers this season, dropping 24.6 points while grabbing 7.0 rebounds and adding 3.5 assists per game. In her freshman year, she set records by scoring 920 points.
Doctors will schedule surgery to fix her right knee's torn ligament. After that, she'll begin the lengthy rehabilitation process.
USC now needs to adjust their game plan without their scoring leader. Kennedy Smith will have to step up alongside Iriafen as the competition gets tougher.
A possible matchup with basketball giant UConn waits in the regional final. Before Watkins' injury, many experts picked USC as real threats to win it all.
The two-time AP All-American joined USC after winning the 2023 Gatorade National Girls Basketball Player of the Year award.
