JuJu Watkins Injury Update: USC star carried off court early vs. Mississippi State

You could hear a pin drop inside of the stadium. On Monday night, the USC Trojans and Mississippi Stare are facing off in the second round of the women's NCAA Tournament, but right now all the focus is on superstar JuJu Watkins.

Early on in the first half, Watkins flew up the court and she was getting ready to make a play for her team. However, before she could fire up a shot, she collided with a pair of MSU defenders and she hit the ground in awkward fashion. She was screaming in pain while down on the hardwood and she had to be carried off the court. This is not what anyone wants to see:

USC's JuJu Watkins was carried off the court with what appears to be a knee injury

As you can see in the video below, Watkins was grabbing her right knee and she couldn't put any weight on her right leg. Because of this, she needed so much help to get off of the hardwood. We don't want to speculate on what kind of injury she suffered, but at the same time, it sure looks to be a concerning one.

Watkins, a 6-2 sophomore, is averaging nearly 25 points per game this season. She has been without question one of the best players in the country this campaign and she's hoping to help USC push for a national title. Moving forward, though, it's totally up in the air if she'll be able to play in the tourney again.

In the Round 1 win over UNC Greensboro, Watkins scored 22 points, but she was dealing with a finger injury and she tweaked her ankle in the third quarter. It was already a blowout by that point, with fans voicing their displeasure with USC head coach Lindsay Gottlieb for still having her in action.

Watkins took herself out of the game and the good news was that she was healthy for this matchup with the Bulldogs. However, disaster has struck and now everyone will be waiting for a new update on her serious-looking knee injury. At this point, however, things aren't looking good for the All-American.

JuJu Watkins officially ruled out for the rest of the game vs. Mississippi State

In a new update on Watkins, USC just announced that the standout guard is being evaluated by the USC Keck Medicine staff. In addition, Watkins has officially been ruled out for the rest of the game vs. Mississippi State.