Juju Watkins has become one of the top women's college basketball players.
The USC guard suffered a season-ending knee injury during a second round match in the NCAA Tournament.
USC passed Kansas at the Sweet 16, but the short-handed Trojan was removed from competition in the Elite 8. The day after UConn's 78-64 victory over USC, Watkins expressed his gratitude for the support he received since toreting the ACL.
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The USC Trojans will guard Juju Watkins (12) during a pre-match warmup before the second round NCAA tournament game against the Mississippi Bulldogs at Gallen Center in Los Angeles on March 24, 2025. (Imagine image by Robert Hanashiro)
“Thank you for your incredible love and support. Seeing all your messages and kind words meant the world to me.
WNBA legend reveals one-word response to Juju Watkins' catastrophic knee injury
“My heart is with my teammates now. I wish I had been fighting there, but I couldn't be proud of the battles we fought together. Thank you.”
USC Trojan guard Juju Watkins grabs his knee after falling to the floor in the first quarter of the second round NCAA tournament game against the Mississippi Bulldogs, which took place at Gallen Center in Los Angeles on March 24, 2025. (Imagine image by Robert Hanashiro)
UConn's victory over USC punched the Husky ticket to Final 4. UConn faces UCLA on Friday.
USC took part in this year's tournament as the top seed. The Trojans were again No. 1 seed last year, moving on to the Elite Eight. UConn eliminated USC with Elite Eight in 2024.
Watkins was fouled for driving to the basket on a fast five-minute break in the March 24 game against Mississippi State. Her right knee seemed to succumb in the play and she fell to the floor. There she remained over a minute in visible pain and grabbed her knee.
USC guard Juju Watkins (12) took to Mississippi National Guard Jerkaila Jordan (2) in the first half of the second round of the NCAA Tournament in Los Angeles on March 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Jesse Arche)
Watkins put together a great freshman campaign during the 2023-24 season, and her impressive performance continued this year. The Los Angeles native averaged 23.9 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 33 games this season.
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USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb said Watkins' status for the 2025-26 season is unknown.
“I don't know what Juju will do. Will she wear a year and a redshirt? “These aren't conversations for now, but I think we'll jump into how to maintain our elite team regardless of the situation. Even if Juju isn't there, we have time to figure out how great he'll be.”
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