Robert Hanashiro - Imagn Images
Iowa’s Caitlin Clark smashed the all-time NCAA scoring record last year as she capped a stellar career in Iowa City. But, USC sophomore JuJu Watkins has been billed as a player that could seriously threaten that record.
Watkins, the likely National Player of the Year this year, has led USC to a number-one seed in the NCAA Tournament. But, a scary injury to her knee in the team’s second-round game against Mississippi State may have her out for the rest of the tournament.
Watkins, the top recruit in the Class of 2023, hit the ground running in Los Angeles. She averaged over 27ppg as a freshman for the Trojans, leading them back to national prominence and a trip to the Elite Eight. USC, the Big Ten Regular Season Champions and tournament runner-up, entered Monday’s game at home with a record of 29-3, hoping to clinch their first 30-win season in four decades.
If JuJu Watkins is healthy, USC can win it all. But, this knee injury on Monday did not look good.
JuJu Watkins was carried off the court and taken to the locker room after suffering an injury on this play. pic.twitter.com/zFgm8PkVnu
— ESPN (@espn) March 25, 2025
Here’s another look.
I don’t like the buckle of the right knee with the foot strikes the ground for Juju Watkins
Fear would be for an ACL tear pic.twitter.com/FCbaHedql5
— Dr. Evan Jeffries, DPT (@GameInjuryDoc) March 25, 2025
I’m not a doctor, so I won’t speculate or try to armchair diagnose what her injury is. That being said, if JuJu Watkins is out for the rest of the tournament, that would be a huge blow to the sports world at large.
Update: JuJu Watkins has torn her ACL, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania. She will have surgery and miss the rest of the NCAA Tournament.
USC won, 96-59.