USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb said during a press conference on Friday that JuJu Watkins’ season-ending ACL tear was not the result of a dirty play. Gottlieb also condemned the online abuse that Mississippi State players have faced in the wake of the injury, which happened during the Trojans’ win over the Bulldogs in the second round of the 2025 Women’s NCAA Tournament.
“There was nothing to me that looked like it had any intent to hurt her. … I mean, that’s not a USC view at all,” Gottlieb said. “It was a physical game. … No one deserves online bullying in any realm, but certainly not a young woman in Chandler [Prater], who was trying to make a play, and unfortunately our player got hurt.”
Just a few minutes into the Trojans’ win on Monday, which was played at the Galen Center in Los Angeles, Watkins was fouled in transition and went down screaming in pain. She was carried off the court and later diagnosed with a torn ACL, which ended her season and could potentially keep her off the court for all of next season as well.
The remainder of the game was tense and physical, even as the Trojans cruised to a 37-point win. There were frequent boos from the partisan crowd, and, perhaps most notably, a minor…
