LSU's National Championship Odds: How JuJu Watkins' Injury Shifted Title Odds

Watkins suffered a season-ending knee injury during the Round of 32, title odds see movement ahead of Sweet 16.

USC Trojans guard JuJu Watkins (12) runs a play Saturday, March 8, 2025, in a semifinals game at the 2025 TIAA Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament between the Iowa Hawkeyes and the Ohio State Buckeyes at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. / Grace Smith/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The No. 3 seeded LSU Tigers will hit the road to Spokane this week for a Sweet 16 clash against the North Carolina State Wolfpack with an Elite Eight berth on the line.

Kim Mulkey and Co. took down the San Diego State Aztecs and Florida State Seminoles during the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament to move on to the second weekend of March Madness.

“We don’t play to just get to a Sweet 16 at LSU women’s basketball anymore,” LSU Coach Kim Mulkey said. “Not that we take it for granted, but our goal every year is just to make a run and see if you can get to another Final Four and see if you can upset somebody you’re not supposed to upset. We weren’t talked about at all when we won it two years ago. So let’s go see what we can do.”

Now, the title odds have been refreshed via FanDuel Sportsbook with shakeup being made at the top.

Following the news of USC Trojans star JuJu Watkins suffering a torn ACL, the odds have made significant movements.

First, Mulkey addressed the injury to one of college basketball's best during an appearance on ESPN's Off The Bench.

"JuJu Watkins is a star in our game and she went down last night with an ACL injury. Nobody did anything dirty, but it was so sad to watch. I just think about her and her family and the thing I would tell her is this is fixable. Sa'Myah Smith is a great example of that. She's been through two ACL tears.

[Watkins] is such a great ambassador of our game."

Some kind words for JuJu Watkins 🥹 pic.twitter.com/8syMkUOUCu

— espnW (@espnW) March 25, 2025

How did Watkins' season-ending ACL tear shift the title odds?

The USC Trojans instantly fell towards the bottom of the pack with the UCONN Huskies, South Carolina Gamecocks and Notre Dame Fighting Irish moving towards the top.

The Top Spot: UCONN Huskies (+170)

Geno Auriemma and the Huskies sit atop the pack with the best odds to take home a National Championship in April.

After dismantling their opponents in the first two rounds, Auriemma and Co. are in an efficient spot heading into Sweet 16 play with FanDuel Sportsbook favoring the Huskies.

SEC Hopeful: South Carolina (+190)

Dawn Staley and the Gamecocks sit with the second-best odds to this point with all eyes on the Southeastern Conference program looking to remain atop the top women's basketball programs.

The Rest of the Field:

UCLA Bruins: +650
Texas Longhorns: +750
Notre Dame Fighting Irish: +950
USC Trojans: +2700
Duke Blue Devils: +2700
LSU Tigers: +3500
Oklahoma +4000
TCU +4000
NC State +4500
Kansas State +8000
Tennessee +12000
Maryland +13000
North Carolina +15000
Ole Miss +18000

For LSU, the Tigers are now set to face North Carolina State this weekend in the Spokane 1 Regional.

The Tigers defeated the Wolfpack back in November, 82-65, in the Baha Mar Pink Flamingo Championship.

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