USC Star JuJu Watkins Suffers Torn ACL in Women's March Madness Game, Ending Her Season
USC Star JuJu Watkins Suffers Torn ACL in NCAA Tournament Win, Season Over
USC standout JuJu Watkins tore her ACL during the Trojans' 96-59 victory over No. 9 seed Mississippi State in the second round of the 2025 Women's NCAA Tournament, the school confirmed. The injury will require surgery, ending the season for USC's top player.
Watkins went down in the first quarter, clutching her knee in pain before being helped off the court, unable to put weight on her injured leg. Despite the emotional blow, the Trojans rallied in her absence to secure the dominant win.
"I'm feeling a lot of emotions, obviously," head coach Lindsay Gottlieb said after the game—before learning the severity of Watkins' injury. "But the biggest one is pride. What a performance by this group. When you bring together talented players, it doesn’t truly become a team until you face adversity. Throughout the year, I felt that if we were tested, it would be in moments when things didn’t go our way right away—and sometimes, we let that stress us. Today, they showed incredible resilience."
"And consider this—things didn’t go our way," Gottlieb said. "No one ever wants to see a player go down, especially someone like JuJu, who we all rely on in so many ways. But this team came together. They fought for her, they fought for each other, and our fans stood by us. I’m incredibly proud, and I think we proved exactly what this team is made of."
Just five minutes into the game, Watkins was driving the ball in transition when she collided with multiple defenders. The impact sent her crashing to the floor, where she clutched her right knee and cried out in pain. USC’s medical staff rushed to her aid, evaluating her briefly on the court before helping her to the locker room.
After reviewing the play, the officials ruled it a common foul and opted not to upgrade it. With Watkins unable to shoot, Avery Howell—who stepped up with 18 points off the bench—stepped to the line to take the free throws in her place
Mississippi State coach Sam Purcell addressed the incident after the game, emphasizing sportsmanship and compassion:
"We play to compete, not to hurt anyone—this was just an unfortunate situation. There was no ill intent, and I hope people understand that, especially in today’s world where social media can amplify negativity. The player involved on our team is a class act—she comes from a loving family, and I’m certain she feels remorseful. It wasn’t something she ever intended to happen. As a society, I hope we can accept her sincere apology and not escalate things further. On behalf of the Bulldogs, we’re praying for a full recovery because she’s a fierce competitor, and we want to see her back on the court soon."
Regarding Watkins' condition: Despite entering the game with minor injuries to her left hand and ankle from the first-round win over No. 16 seed UNC Greensboro, she was cleared to play after fully participating in Sunday’s practice.
USC arrived at the tournament as one of the favourites to win the national championship, largely due to the dominance of Watkins, who averages 24.6 points, seven rebounds, 3.5 assists, 2.3 steals, and 1.8 blocks per game—a stat line that will likely earn her the Naismith Player of the Year honour this spring.
The Trojans leaned on a strong home crowd and a 36-point explosion from Kiki Iriafen to overcome an outmatched Bulldogs squad. But with Watkins sidelined for the rest of the tournament, their championship hopes look bleak—especially given they already faced arguably the toughest path of any No. 1 seed.
Next up is a Sweet 16 clash against No. 5 Kansas State on Saturday. If the bracket holds, they’d then potentially face No. 2 UConn, No. 1 UCLA, and No. 1 South Carolina. Even getting past the Wildcats in Spokane will be a major challenge without Watkins, who accounted for over 30% of the team’s scoring this season. Asking for more than that seems unrealistic.
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