JuJu Watkins was on the USC bench as the Trojans advanced to the Elite Eight with a 67-61 win over Kansas State on Saturday. Well, sort of. Watkins tore her ACL in the second round of the tournament and therefore she did not make the trip up the coast.

Despite the absence of JuJu Watkins, USC defeated Kansas State by the final score of 67-61 in the 2025 NCAA women's basketball tournament on Saturday. With the win, the Trojans advanced to the Elite Eight for the second consecutive year.

The Wildcats then tied it up early in the fourth quarter, and they hung with USC nearly the rest of the way. While the Trojans' last field goal came at the 4:35 mark, they hit eight free throws — and came up with a huge defensive stop after a late turnover — to end the game and escape with the six-point win.

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,

Lisa Leslie says "we can’t just write USC off because JuJu (Watkins) is not out there" in an interview with USA Today.

The college basketball world was in shock when USC Trojans women’s basketball star JuJu Watkins suffered a season-ending knee injury during the team’s March Madness game against Mississippi State earlier this week.

If Southern California wants to win its first national championship in 41 years, the Trojans will have to find a way to get it done without star guard JuJu Watkins.

Fever superstar Aliyah Boston called out one fan for furthering a narrative that a Mississippi State player caused JuJu Watkins' ACL tear.