JuJu Watkins Suffers Season-Ending Knee Injury

JuJu Watkins’ historic season came to a devastating end after she suffered a season-ending knee injury.

ESPN first reported that Watkins tore her ACL in her right knee during the Trojans’ second-round game against Mississippi State on Monday (March 25). According to a team spokesperson, Watkins will undergo season-ending surgery and then begin rehabilitation.

Five minutes into USC’s dominating win, Watkins fell to the ground in extreme pain clutching her knee, and had to be carried off the court. The crowd at the Galens Center was quiet as they understood the potential severity of Watkin’s injury.

After their victory,  USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb shared how the team dealt with the loss of Watkins.

“I’d be lying if I told you that I wasn’t rattled seeing JuJu on the floor crying,” Gottlieb said. “This is a human game and so I obviously tried my best to be what I need to be for the team, but internally it’s a lot.”

With Watkins not available, Kiki Iriafen scored a season-high 36 points on 16-of-22 shooting to lead the Trojans into the sweet sixteen.

“We didn’t want to let her down,” Iriafen said after the game. “We just want to keep dancing, so whatever it takes is what I wanted to do. I think it just shows our toughness.”

Following her injury, the USC faithful loudly booed Mississippi State every time they had possession of the ball and the school’s cheerleaders were booed during their halftime performance.

“You can’t tell me that the energy of the crowd and how angry they were with the other team and how much they were for our team [isn’t] so much about what JuJu has given to this arena, to this program, to this city,” Gottlieb added.

“We know that we’ve got no punks in our locker room, that we have a team that’s going to step up,” Gottlieb said. “This team rallied, they rallied for [Watkins], they rallied for each other.”

An Associated Press All-American selection and a contender for national player of the year, Watkins averaged 24.6 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.5 assists this season leading the Trojans’  30-3 campaign, one that saw the team earn the fourth No. 1 seed in this year’s NCAA tournament.