Time appeared to freeze for a moment when USC Trojans star JuJu Watkins fell to the court at Galen Center, clutching her right knee. Suddenly, every heart skipped a beat, and every fan in attendance held their breath. The superstar in women’s college basketball left the second round of March Madness against the Mississippi State Bulldogs with a torn ACL, sparking an outpouring of reactions on social media. Sports celebrities, including Angel Reese, shared their support, with the Chicago Sky talent posting a powerful three-word message for Watkins.
Watkins and the Trojans were the talk of the town during the women’s NCAA Tournament, expected to be in the Final Four and not many programs would like to take them on during March Madness.
However, it’s all taken a 180-degree turn after Watkins injured her right knee’s ACL in the first quarter of USC’s 96-59 win over Mississippi State. The news of Watkins’ injury made waves all over social media, with both NCAA and WNBA stars sending their best wishes for the 19-year-old phenom in South California.
Among the household names to react to the unfortunate incident was Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese. The 22-year-old WNBA celebrity was not exempt to the incident, quickly posting a three-word message for JuJu on her X account.
“Prayers for JuJu!” Reese posted on her X (formerly Twitter) profile, along with a tearful and praying emoji.
Feeling the impact
The USC bench reacted immediately to Watkins’ gruesome accident, with fans in attendance in utter awe and shock. After the game, the Trojans realization kicked in for them, as they must continue their March Madness pursuit without their top player on the court.
“I’d be lying if I told you I wasn’t rattled seeing JuJu lying on the floor and crying,” USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb said after the game, via Associated Press.
Face adversity
While Watkins’ absence is a huge factor for the Trojans , the team rallied and put on a strong performance against the Bulldogs, blowing their opponents out of the water, despite missing JuJu for most of the game.
“When you throw a bunch of talented people on a team, it doesn’t become a team until you work through some things. And how about this. Something didn’t go right for us,” Gottlieb added. “You never want anyone to go down, especially someone like JuJu that we all lean on in so many ways. But this team rallied. They rallied for her, they rallied for each other, our fans had our back. I’m just really proud and I think we showed what kind of team we are.”
SURVEY Can the Trojans go all the way in March Madness without JuJu Watkins?
Can the Trojans go all the way in March Madness without JuJu Watkins?
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The Trojans will be up against a bigger test when they take on the Kansas State Wildcats on March 29 in a critical Sweet Sixteen matchup without JuJu Watkins, who must undergo season-ending surgery.