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College Basketball Fans React To Juju Watkins's ACL Tear Before Facing Kansas State

USC star JuJu Watkins suffered an ACL tear in Monday's victory over Mississippi State University.

Jayden Armant

Mar 24, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; USC Trojans head coach Lindsay Gottlieb talks to JuJu Watkins after the Trojans guard injured her knee in the first quarter of an NCAA Tournament second-round game against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Galen Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images
Mar 24, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; USC Trojans head coach Lindsay Gottlieb talks to JuJu Watkins after the Trojans guard injured her knee in the first quarter of an NCAA Tournament second-round game against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Galen Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images / Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images
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USC advanced to the next round of the NCAA Tournament after a blowout victory over Mississippi State University Monday night.

But the loss they suffered may have hurt them even more. Standout guard Juju Watkins suffered a season-ending ACL tear, ending her season and likely sidelining her for a good chunk of next year as well.

After consecutive star seasons, Watkins was projected to be a top WNBA prospect. She can still reach this level as a sophomore, but an injury like this could derail her career.

Some even made a ridiculous connection between Watkins' injury and Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels' mom. A video on social media displayed Daniels' mom allegedly side-eyeing Daniels and Watkins while they were interacting.

USC now must face Kansas State without its best player. The Wildcats are coming off a nail-biting win over Kentucky behind star performances from Serena Sundell and Temira Pointdexter. Watkins was averaging 23.4 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 3.4 assists this season, including a 22-point performance in USC's blowout first-round victory.

"Juju Watkins is so loved," one user tweeted. "There is not a single fanbase or basketball fan who isn’t praying for her right now. Basketball is so much better when Juju is playing"

Kansas State and USC face off Saturday night. But for now, the basketball world continues to mourn Watkins' devastating ACL tear.

Jayden Armant is a graduate of the Howard University School of Communications and a contributor to Kansas State Wildcats on SI. He can be reached at jaydenshome14@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter @jaydenarmant.

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Jayden Armant
JAYDEN ARMANT

Jayden is a journalism school graduate of Howard University. He was the 2024 recipient of the Terez Paylor scholarship award. He previously worked at the Orlando Sentinel.