USC's National Championship odds take a hit after JuJu Watkins injury

The USC women's team was thought to be the front-runner in college basketball this season because of star guard Juju Watkins and her elite supporting cast.

Head coach Lindsay Gottlieb added a few key freshmen this season and continued to develop several of the team's players from last year's Elite 8 team, but she also added some star power in the transfer portal in the form of Kiki Iriafen and Talia von Oelhoffen.

However, things fell apart on Monday evening in the Round of 32 when Watkins went down with a knee injury, and reports later confirmed that she had suffered a torn ACL and would require surgery. This means that the Trojans will be without their best player for the remainder of March Madness and a good portion of next season.

The oddsmakers in Las Vegas took notice of this dramatic injury, and USC's National Championship odds dropped severely in the aftermath.

USC's National Champion odds take a hit after JuJu Watkins injury

Prior to the NCAA Tournament, USC was one of the favorites to bring home the title. This placed them just behind South Carolina, UConn and UCLA.

However, the morning following her injury, FanDuel Sportsbook adjusted its odds, and now the Trojans are a relatively longshot to win the Championship at 30-1.

This places them behind Notre Dame and Texas as well, and just slightly ahead of Duke and LSU.

While Watkins' injury certainly hurts the Trojans' chances, USC is a strong team, with or without her. Kiki Iriafen was unstoppable on Monday against a good Mississippi State team, and the freshman trio of Kennedy Smith, Avery Howell and Kayleigh Heckel all answered the bell when the team needed them.

Both Kansas State and UConn will be difficult to get past as USC marches toward the Final Four in Tampa, Florida, but do not count this team out quite yet. This is March, and longshots commonly win.