Strong reactions from USC women's basketball blowout without Watkins

Fans are eagerly awaiting news from USC women's basketball. JuJu Watkins went down in the first quarter after staying down on the floor and was unable to return after heading to the locker room. Monday's result wasn't ever in question, as the Trojans would go on to win 90-59.

While waiting for updates from the medical staff, it was up to the sophomore's teammates to keep the momentum going. The players who were forced to step up did so, and then some in the Sweet 16 clinching effort. It wasn't until late in the early hours that Shams Charania broke the news that the superstar had indeed torn her ACL.

One aspect is for certain, though, coach Lindsay Gottlieb has a ton of talent throughout her roster. Without Watkins, others saw an increased role. The freshmen in particular ended up having a good game for themselves and displayed their depth against an SEC team.

Kiki Iriafen had 36 points on 72.7% shooting. The senior has been a great player throughout her college career. For the first time at USC, she needed to be the unquestioned go-to option and leader. Sometimes the wheels can fall off after a group loses their leader. She ensured, however, that that wouldn't happen at the Galen Center.

On the other side of the seniority roster, first-year players Avery Howell and Kayleigh Heckel saw an uptick in minutes and scoring production. This isn't always the case. Often, when someone is forced to play an extended amount of time, the added responsibilities can lead to a noticeable dip in overall impact.

This was far from the case for the Women of Troy. Instead, everyone excelled despite worrying about their friend and teammate Watkins and comfortably punched their ticket to Spokane. They will now face a Kansas State team that is also proven to be able to withstand setbacks. The more immediate concern at the time was to see if the All-American would be able to suit up on Saturday.

Sacramento Trojan posted on X and did an excellent job summarizing what many Trojan fans were thinking throughout the night. Watkins going down was a scary moment, not just for USC but for basketball fans as a whole. Something that could be seen as a positive takeaway from the unforeseen injury was being able to watch the collective spirit of coach Gottlieb's group rallying around each other.

USC Trojans WBB Fans offered further consideration for the star that everyone is worried about. Considering it's unknown the extent to which Watkins was hurt, it was always possible that her season could be done as a result of what happened in the first quarter. March Madness wouldn't at all be the same, but the account on X made a good point, keeping things in perspective in the event that this team is forced out of the tournament earlier than expected.

The Iriafen performance stood out on the day. Known collegiate women's basketball enthusiast Bala shared an enthusiasm for the senior's scoring output. Even under the circumstances, it was hard to not get excited over the play of the former Stanford Cardinal player.

Finally, Conrado Pascual took the moment to reconsider the future implications for Iriafen. Every year, talented players make the jump from the NCAA to the WNBA. Standout moments on the national stage can often help create a rise in stock. 

While the USC women's basketball fanbase waited to see and then received unfortunate news, there were strong points that offered optimism for this year and moving forward under coach Gottlieb.