LOS ANGELES — JuJu Watkins’ season is done.
The USC star suffered a season-ending knee injury during Monday night’s women’s March Madness game against Mississippi State.
‘She will undergo surgery and then begin rehabilitation shortly thereafter,’ USC said.
Watkins tore her anterior cruciate ligament, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania. The team has not yet confirmed the diagnosis.
Early in the first quarter, Watkins was on a fast break with just under five minutes to go when she became entangled with a Mississippi State player. She immediately went down, grabbed her right knee and was visibly in pain. A foul was called on Mississippi State’s Chandler Prater.
Medical staff came to assist as the crowd inside the Galen Center went silent. Watkins was carried off the court and she did not put any weight on her knee. The Trojans were ahead 13-2 at the time.
‘She’s a key piece for us. But we don’t want to let her down, we don’t want to let all of our fans down,’ USC’s Kiki Iriafen said on the broadcast after finishing the game with a team-high 36 points. ‘Just keeping our foot on the gas, trusting everything our coaches have for us and knowing we’re more than capable to win this game.’
Referees reviewed the play for a potential flagrant call, but it was determined to be a common foul. USC fans were audibly upset and booed the Bulldogs for the majority of the game after Watkin’s injury.
Did JuJu Watkins tear her ACL?
Yes, Watkins tore her anterior cruciate ligament, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania. The team has not yet confirmed the diagnosis, saying only it was a season-ending injury. The average recovery time for an ACL injury is around nine months, according to a study from Stanford, though some athletes have returned sooner than that.
ESPN’s Holly Rowe said on the broadcast USC athletic director Jennifer Cohen left the stands to go check on Watkins, and she later left the building.
‘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.’
Watkins’ injury comes after she had a scare in the opening round matchup against UNC Greensboro. She took a fall in the second quarter and had a taped up wrist and fingers, but she later twisted her ankle on a drive to the basket. She hobbled and stayed in the game before she exited with a trainer. She later returned to the bench and got back in action.
USC head coach comments on JuJu Watkins injury
Trojans head coach Lindsay Gottlieb spoke about Watkins’ injury on the ESPN broadcast.
‘She’s getting seen by our great medical team. And just that we have a group and a fanbase and a team that’s going to have her back no matter what. She gives this community and all of us so much, so we’ve got her back, no matter what it is,’ she said.
‘It’s obviously talking about the Xs and Os, and what we need to do to win this game. And we have great confidence that we can keep the foot on the gas and go.’
Who is JuJu Watkins’ replacement? USC roster breakdown
With Watkins out, the Trojans will turn to Talia von Oelhoffen to handle point guard duties. An Oregon State transfer, von Oelhoffen is a graduate student and has plenty of experience commanding the offense. Another option to lead the offense is Kennedy Smith. The freshman has carved out her spot in the starting lineup and has become a key member on both sides of the court for USC.
Watkins’ backup Malia Samuels also remains in the rotation to handle the guard duties. USC can still stick to its normal lineup of three guards with forwards Kiki Iriafen and Rayah Marshall.
Malia Samuels injury
The Trojans had another injury scare in the second quarter when guard Malia Samuels took some hard contact on a layup attempt. She appeared to hit her shoulder and head on the court. Medical staff came to assist her and she appeared to say she was fine. She went back to the locker room and returned to the game a few minutes later.
(This story was updated to change a video and will be updated with more information.)