The basketball world collectively held their breathe on Monday evening as USC's star sophomore guard Juju Watkins lay on the floor grabbing her knee after a tough fall against Mississippi State in the Round of 32.
Fans assumed the worst, and the worst is what happened. Watkins tore her ACL and will need surgery to repair it, meaning she will be out for the remainder of the NCAA Tournament and likely a majority of next season.
This was a difficult blow to the Trojans, both physically and emotionally. However, the team powered through and won decisively against the Bulldogs, setting up a date with the No. 5 seed Kansas State in the Sweet 16 on Saturday. The Wildcats should know, however, that USC, despite losing their best player, will be no pushover in the Regional Semifinal.
USC is still a dangerous team without JuJu Watkins for Kansas State
While many felt that the Trojans were going to falter after the departure of their star guard, the team actually rallied together and extended the lead, winning triumphantly in front of a packed home crowd.
USC will not have a homecourt advantage in the Sweet 16, but they will still have a well-rounded attack whose whole may be greater than the sum of their parts. Kiki Iriafen is still one of the best bigs in the country and could pose problems for Ayoka Lee, who, despite playing in the last two games, does not seem like she is 100% healthy.
The Trojans also have a lethal rotation of guards and wings like Kennedy Smith, Avery Howell and Kayleigh Heckel, all of whom had scored in the double digits on Monday and dished out a combined 13 assists.
Talia von Oelhoffen will also need to step up for USC, which she is more than capable of doing. Just because Watkins has been the star of the show this season does not mean that the rest of the roster is not ready for their share of the spotlight.
Serena Sundell and Temira Poindexter will have their hands full against this deep Trojans lineup and while the odds are now higher that the Wildcats can pull off an upset win, USC is still a dangerous team that should be favored.