Where is JuJu Watkins? Injury update on USC star amid Trojans' women's Sweet 16 run
Editor's note: Follow UConn vs. USC women's basketball live updates from their Elite Eight game in March Madness.
For the second consecutive season, USC women's basketball is appearing in the Sweet 16 of the women's NCAA Tournament.
But the Trojans do so without one of the women's college basketball's biggest stars: JuJu Watkins.
The sophomore sensation, who is a finalist for Naismith National Player of the Year, will miss the rest of March Madness after sustaining a season-ending knee injury in USC's second-round win vs. Mississippi State that will require surgery and a lengthy rehabilitation process.
The Los Angeles native has not made any comment since her injury as of the time of this writing.
With that, here's what you need to know about Watkins' injury:
How long is JuJu Watkins out for USC women's basketball?
Watkins will miss the remainder of USC's women's basketball season with an apparent knee injury.
As for when Watkins may take the floor again for the Trojans, that remains unclear, as she has to undergo surgery and go through rehabilitation. ESPN's Shams Charania reported on Monday that Watkins tore her ACL, which normally has a year-long recovery timeline.
JuJu Watkins injury update
Watkins sustained an apparent season-ending in the first quarter of USC's second-round game of the women's NCAA Tournament on Monday, April 25 against Mississippi State.
The 6-foot-2 guard's non-contact injury came on a fast break opportunity down the floor at the Galen Center in Los Angeles. As she was making her way to the basket, Watkins appeared to have lock stepped with Mississippi State's Chandler Prater around the paint and immediately grabbed her right knee as she fell down on the floor, as previously reported by Paste BN.
Here's a look at Watkins' injury:
Watkins' teammates and members of USC's medical staff immediately rushed over to tend to the star guard. After being looked at briefly, Watkins had to be carried off by trainers. ESPN's Holly Rowe then reported that Watkins was taken to a nearby tech medical center for further testing as USC's arena did not have an MRI machine.
"There is not an MRI machine here at the (Galen Center), so we did see JuJu Watkins being wheeled out of the building," Rowe said on the broadcast. "We’re believing she’s going to a tech medical center for further MRI imaging. You can only do so much with a manual ligament test."
On Wednesday, ahead of USC's Sweet 16 game vs. No. 5 seed Kansas State, Trojans coach Lindsay Gottlieb released a statement on the program's X (formerly Twitter) account about her star guard.
"JuJu is a special player — unquestionably tough physically and mentally — and she is deeply loved by her team and her Trojan family. One thing I know about JuJu is that she is resilient. We are in full support of her and believe that this injury will not shake her drive and dedication to be the best player and person she can be, and to help her teammates shine," Gottlieb said in the statement.
What is JuJu Watkin's injury?
According to Charania, Watkins tore her ACL in the first quarter of USC's second-round win against Mississippi State.
The Trojans themselves have not announced or confirmed Charania's report that Watkins tore her ACL, as they have only stated that she sustained a "season-ending injury" and that she will undergo surgery.
JuJu Watkins stats at USC
Watkins will end her sophomore campaign at USC ranked fifth in the country in scoring at 23.9 points per game.
Here's a look at her career stats at USC:
- 2023-24: 27.1 points per game, 7.3 rebounds per game, 3.3 assists per game, 2.3 steals per game and 1.6 blocks per game while shooting 40.1% from the field (31.9% 3-Point shooting)
- 2024-25: 23.9 points per game, 6.8 rebounds per game, 3.4 assists per game, 2.2 steals per game and 1.8 blocks per game while shooting 42.6% from the field (32.5% 3-Point shooting)
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