USC superstar JuJu Watkins will undergo surgery and rehabilitation after sustaining a season-ending ACL tear during Monday’s second-round matchup against Mississippi State, casting a pall over the top-seeded Trojans’ hope for a deep tournament run.
“I’d be lying if I told you I wasn’t rattled seeing JuJu on the floor and crying,” USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb said Monday night. “I’m trying, obviously, my best to be what I need to be for the team, but internally it’s a lot.”
Watkins’ right knee buckled halfway through the first quarter in USC’s 96-59 win. She was running the floor in transition and was knocked into a Bulldogs player while driving to the basket.
Referees whistled a foul on fifth-year forward Chandler Prater as Watkins, a two-time All-American, ranked second nationally with 24.6 points per game and one of college basketball’s biggest stars, writhed in pain and clutched her knee on the ground.
Her teammates huddled in a circle around her, and Gottlieb and assistant coach Wendale Farrow came from the bench to check on Watkins before Trojans staffers carried the sophomore guard off the floor.
The Trojans’ path to their first Final Four since 1986 became increasingly difficult without her, and they’ll be tested in the Sweet 16 against No….
