The Trojans take on UConn and stars Paige Bueckers and Sarah Strong at 9 p.m. ET. They already have a head-to-head win over the Huskies from December, but they won't have the services of Watkins, who scored a game-high 25 points, this time around.

As the USC statement indicated, Watkins will require surgery and then rehab. In recent history, women’s basketball players have needed about a year to recover from a torn ACL. For example, UConn’s Azzi Fudd, LSU’s Sa’Myah Smith and Ole Miss’ KK Deans each tore an ACL in November 2023 yet returned to game action by November 2024.

Kennedy Smith stepped into the void left by injured star JuJu Watkins, scoring 19 points to help Southern California hold off Kansas State 67-61 in the Sweet 16 of the women’s NCAA Tournament.

As a longtime steward of the game, Auriemma has seen far too many players suffer the same fate as Watkins. Look no further than Bueckers, who missed the entire 2022-2023 season wi

Former WNBA superstar Chiney Ogwumike tells TMZ Sports she's absolutely positive we'll be seeing JuJu Watkins getting buckets on the hardwood again in the near future.

USC head coach Lindsay Gottlieb came to the defense of a Mississippi State player as she faces online bullying over her involvement in the play that resulted in JuJu Watkins' injury.

Playing without injured star JuJu Watkins, freshmen Kennedy Smith and Avery Howell power USC to a 67-61 victory over Kansas State in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament.

Freshman Kennedy Smith scores 19 and Avery Howell adds 18 as USC beats Kansas State 67-61 without injured star JuJu Watkins, setting up Elite Eight rematch with UConn.