JuJu Watkins ACL Injury Casts Shadow Over Women’s Sweet 16

A dark cloud now looms over a star-laden Women’s Sweet 16.

JuJu Watkins will miss the remainder of the women’s NCAA tournament after tearing her ACL in the first quarter of USC’s win over Mississippi State in the second round of March Madness on Monday night. ESPN’s Shams Charania was the first to report the injury.

The team announced at around 1:30 a.m. ET that Watkins will undergo surgery and then begin rehab for her injury.

Watkins, the favorite to win this year’s Wooden Award, had a dominant sophomore year in Los Angeles, averaging 24.6 points, seven rebounds, 3.5 assists, 2.3 steals and 1.8 blocks. The Trojans, who face Kansas State on Saturday in the Sweet 16, will have to rely on star forward Kiki Iriafen, who is projected to be a top-five pick in the 2025 WNBA draft.

Bittersweet 16

Even without Watkins, the No. 1 seed Trojans cruised to a 37-point blowout of Mississippi State. Before the injury, it appeared Watkins was set to join a long list of stars still alive in the tournament—a trend unseen in the men’s tournament where Cooper Flagg’s name recognition stands above the field. Aside from Watkins, the remaining women’s stars include UConn’s Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd, LSU’s Flau’jae Johnson, UCLA’s Lauren Betts, and South Carolina’s Chloe Kitts. 

The biggest names who have been eliminated are Kentucky’s Georgia Amoore, a potential first-round pick in the 2025 WNBA draft, and Iowa State’s Audi Crooks. 

USC is on a collision course to face UConn in the Elite Eight in what would have been a dream match-up for rights holder ESPN after last year’s Caitlin Clark-led tournament. UConn and USC met in December and drew 2.2 million viewers on Fox, the most-watched regular-season game this year; now they’re each a win away from a rematch in the regional final.

There are still several high-profile matchups set in the Sweet 16: A North Carolina vs. Duke rivalry game, a battle between two legendary women’s basketball programs in Texas and Tennessee, and a showdown between the Hailey Van Lith–led TCU and Notre Dame headlined by Hannah Hidalgo and Olivia Miles. The latter two contests are scheduled for Saturday on ABC.