USC Trojans standout guard JuJu Watkins appeared on ESPN’s College GameDay during Final Four weekend to discuss her upcoming 2024-2025 season and her recovery from injury. Watkins suffered a torn ACL that ended her season during the Trojans’ second-round NCAA Tournament victory against Mississippi State.
Watkins on Winning the Wooden Award and Her ACL Injury Watkins had been enjoying an outstanding season, averaging 23.9 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game, leading USC to a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Recently, she was honored with the Wooden Award for Player of the Year in Women’s College Basketball.
“I believe the season was a significant growth year for me. I learned a lot…especially in terms of basketball IQ,” Watkins shared. “Playing alongside Kiki Iriafen and other talented players pushed me to elevate my game and improve as both a player and a teammate.”
Watkins also spoke about her injury and how she has coped over the past few weeks.
“I truly believe that everything happens for a reason,” she said. “During the first week, I was completely in shock. This was my first experience facing such adversity, so I’m focusing on preparing for what lies ahead and getting to work on my rehab to return to the court with my teammates.”
She admitted that watching her teammates play without her was a tough experience.
“Seeing my team compete without me was really hard,” Watkins said. “But witnessing the support and love they showed me, and knowing that I was there in spirit, made it a rewarding experience. I’m so proud of them
Would USC Have Beaten UConn with a Healthy Watkins? Without JuJu Watkins, the USC Trojans reached the Elite Eight but lost to the UConn Huskies 78-64. For the second consecutive year, the Trojans fell one game short of making their first Final Four appearance since 1986, with the Huskies ending their tournament journey both times.
UConn then dominated UCLA in the Final Four and South Carolina in the National Championship, winning by an average of 23.5 points and claiming the title for the first time since 2016. USC provided the toughest challenge for UConn throughout the tournament, leading to speculation about whether USC could have defeated UConn if Watkins had been healthy.
While some questions may remain unanswered, this one certainly stands out. Earlier in the season, USC managed to beat UConn when Watkins was in the lineup. With guard Paige Bueckers heading to the WNBA next offseason, any potential matchup between Watkins and Bueckers would have to occur at the professional level rather than in college basketball
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