USC HC Lindsey Gottlieb's postgame speech will have USC fans ready to run through a wall

Any team losing its best player, including USC women's basketball, faces a significant test. Although many were hoping that college basketball star JuJu Watkins would be able to optimistically expect to return for this year's tournament run, that turned out to not be the case. Instead, her teammates collectively showed how talented they are in their own right. Playing for each other and the now-sidelined Trojan, the Big Ten runners-up showed a lot in their second-round win against Mississippi State.

Grit, inner strength, and fortitude were on full display by coach Lindsay Gottlieb's group late Monday evening against the Bulldogs. It's an incredibly difficult position to be in as a player and coach. Immediate thoughts rush to the well-being of a friend and someone that a strong connection has been built with.

Like in showbiz, however, the game must go on, and the Women of Troy faced the difficulty of worrying about the extent of Watkins' injury while also needing to perform at a high level to advance in March Madness. They did just that, and then some. After the All-American was forced to leave the floor, USC went on an immediate 15-2 run.

This lead continued to balloon and resulted in the eventual 96-59 rout. The amount of depth from coach Gottlieb's team was impressive, and the spirit her group showed thoroughly impressed a highly supportive Galen Center crowd on the evening.

After the game, the Trojans HC gave an uplifting message and expressed how proud she was of her group following the victory. At the end of the day, with NIL or without, this is still collegiate athletics. Growth and development as players and student-athletes will always be what's most important.

Sometimes that requires being tested, and the USC coach acknowledged and praised her squad for how they persevered after experiencing a rough moment;

"You guys did something really special today...how incredibly proud I am of the way you stepped up for one another, this school, each other, and it was a tidal wave of a team."

She went on to mention how important it was and will be for everyone to bring their continued full effort to the program and to also replace the now-missing energy that would have been there if Watkins was on the court.

Steep hill, very much possible for USC women's basketball to climb

At the time, it was more general for when any player was forced to leave the action due to injury. This message only rings more true now knowing that a torn ACL means the sophomore superstar will miss the remainder of the tournament. 

The USC women's basketball team will now face Kansas State in what should be an excellent matchup. Even if some are already writing off coach Gottlieb's group, those naysayers clearly weren't paying attention in the Second Round. Any doubts about this team's ability to still continue through to their ultimate goal shouldn't be too strong at this point. For one, there are still a lot of high-level players on this roster. The collective unifying will to 'play and win for JuJu' could also be a strong force for the rest of the remaining bracket to deal with.