USC Trojans superstar JuJu Watkins tore her ACL in the 2025 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament on a first-quarter fast break against Mississippi State on Monday night.
The injury will cost the two-time All-American a substantial amount of basketball action; it also endangers the Trojans’ 2025 national title hopes and removes a commercial mainstay—Watkins has deals with State Farm and Nike—from the hardwood. The Trojans have entered the national spotlight in large part because of Watkins, who is averaging 25.5 points per game for her career.
Watkins’ March Madness injury follows the trend of top women athletes sustaining knee damage at a disproportionately high rate. Women are roughly 3.5 times more likely to tear their ACLs while playing basketball than men, according to an NIH study whose conclusions are backed by multiple peer reviewed papers. Studies show women athletes are uniquely at risk of such setbacks across all sports when they compete.
The list of elite women’s college hoopers to sustain long-term knee injuries in recent years includes Paige Bueckers (UConn), Azzi Fudd (UConn), Liz Kitley (Virginia Tech), Olivia Miles (Notre Dame) and Rori Harmon (Texas). One source of optimism for Watkins: All those players have fully recovered and returned to the court.
According to Johns Hopkins, female athletes may be more likely to tear their ACLs because they have looser joints around the knee, less muscle mass cushioning the knee and different patterns of movement. Northwestern Medicine identifies landing mechanics and hormonal differences as possible factors in increased ACL tears.
With Watkins out for the remainder of the tournament, USC will lean on its transfer portal and recruiting additions from last offseason, including All-American transfer Kiki Iriafen, to push for a deep run. But USC expressed confidence it can still rack up wins without her on the floor—still inspired by her leadership.
“I hope [JuJu] can at some point see just the significance that she has here that goes so far beyond just her talent and abilities,” USC head coach Lindsay Gottlieb said in her postgame press conference Monday. “That’s what’s really generational about it, the way she’s galvanized everyone.”
Watkins, a sophomore, is not eligible for the WNBA Draft until 2027 under current rules, though the next WNBA CBA could see a change of policy. Assuming the draft regulations remain intact, USC would likely be assured of at least one more season from the guard post-recovery.
