College basketball superstar Juju Watkins left audiences in despair after the University of Southern California (USC) shooting guard tore her ACL in a game against Mississippi State on Monday, March 25.
Watkins is widely commended for leading the Trojans to the No. 1 seed coming into March Madness. The 6-foot-2-inch sophomore averages 24.6 points, 7 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 2.3 steals, and 1.8 blocks per game, almost single-handedly leading her team to a successful 30-3 season.
The highly-decorated athlete was the No. 1 ranked girls basketball recruit in her class coming out of Sierra Canyon School in California to the seemingly average Trojan team. Watkins’ basketball expertise made USC the No.1 seed in the nation due to her undeniable skills.
“As soon as she arrived at USC, last season, she established herself as one of the best players in the country,” The New Yorker Journalist Louisa Thomas said in an article. “She was quick, smooth, and versatile—skilled in the midrange and fearless from deep. She could block shots like a center and command the floor like a point guard.”
However, in the second round of the NCAA tournament, Watkin’s untouchable streak of success was setback when she experienced a brutal fall hardly five minutes into the game against the Mississippi State Bulldogs. The Trojans were projected to have a very successful March Madness, but this recent injury has fans worried about whether or not the Trojans will continue to prevail without their leading scorer.
“With Watkins out for the remainder of the Big Dance, it’s hard to see how [USC will] lift the trophy,” CBS Sports Writer Jack Maloney said in an article. “Especially considering they already had arguably the toughest path of any No. 1 seed.”
The rest of the Trojan team was able to persevere on Monday night, defeating Mississippi State 96-59, even with their best player out for the majority of the game. Next, this Trojan team will take on the No. 5 seed Kansas State Wildcats on Saturday to continue on to the Elite Eight where they will continue to fight in the tournament, with or without their stat leader. It will be a hard adjustment for the team, but fortunately they have a great roster to compete with.
“USC will have to really shift their gameplan, but they are still a very talented team,” Varsity Girls Basketball Coach Emily Thompson said. “Other players on the team will have to step up for the remaining games in the tournament.”
Southern California head coach Lindsay Gottlieb feels sorry for Juju and hopes for a speedy recovery, but she does not feel hopeless about USC’s chances at success for the rest of the tournament. The Trojans will play for Juju and hope to win for all that she has done for them this season.
“JuJu’s toughness, her talent, and her competitive spirit have impacted our program in more ways than people realize,” Coach Gottlieb said according to Reuters. “[She] will continue to inspire us in our pursuit of a national championship.”
Fans are growing very skeptical about the Trojan’s success for the rest of the tournament, as Watkins was such an impactful player on the roster.
“I think the USC team is very talented, even without Juju,” junior Charlotte Borley said. “But all of the players are going to have to step up even more because they no longer have her to rely on.”
