The college basketball world sends JuJu Watkins love after season-ending injury

It was rough to watch. During the USC women's basketball game in the Second Round, JuJu Watkins went down after a drive to the basket. Unable to get up and walk over the court on her own, members of the staff had to carry her to the locker room. While the game against Mississippi State was still going on, the X account of the program updated fans that the sophomore would not return to the matchup. The post indicated that the USC Keck Medicine staff was directly involved after the incident, indicating a more serious concern.

During the early Tuesday hours, the worst fears were confirmed. From when the contact initially happened to hearing from Shams Charania about the torn ligament, the amount of outpouring for Watkins was tremendous.

After seeing the guard stay down, some believed the worst-case scenario had happened, but everyone was hoping for the best, that the worst had been avoided. Then hearing that she would need surgery to repair her ACL left a nauseous internal feeling for those who knew what that would mean.

In an overall encapsulating post, Just Women's Sports shared a post of notable players and accounts and their reactions to the sad news of the Trojan. Athletes like Aliyah Boston and Angel Reese expressed how much they were hoping for Watkins to recover from this latest significant setback. Bri Lewerke then summarized how most college basketball fans felt in the pits of their stomachs.

Injuries happen, but avoiding major ones in which players miss extended time is what is always hoped for. March Madness isn't the same when the best teams aren't able to compete with their best players. Although teams like the UConn Huskies and UCLA Bruins always stood a strong chance in the tournament, many had the Trojans slated to at least go on a Final Four run.

Road to recovery for USC women's basketball guard

Watkins will now miss the rest of the tourney action and faces a tough road to recovery. For someone who excels at a high level in the sport, her exclusion leaves a large void in collegiate sports at the moment. Anyone who has followed Watkins' career, however, will know that the fiery competitor will ensure that she is able to do everything needed to step back on the court.

It is an incredibly sad moment for the Women of Troy. When she is able to step back at the Galen Center again, thunderous applause will echo throughout the arena. Just as there was a strong collective amount of support and wishes for the sophomore to get well, hoops fans will excitedly anticipate her return and show equal amounts of support for when that happens.

In the meantime, coach Lindsay Gottlieb will turn to the current roster. As seen in the Second Round game, there is a lot of talent on the team outside of Watkins, and they will be asked to step up. Against the Bulldogs, the team showed a strong ability to rally around each other, inspired by wanting to play for each other and their teammate, whose 2024-2025 season came to too soon of an end.