JuJu Watkins tearing her ACL during the USC Trojans vs. Mississippi State Bulldogs game has tugged at the heartstrings of many sports celebrities, including Indiana Fever’s Aliyah Boston and Sydney Colson. Boston and Colson both dropped tweets and sent prayers along Watkins’s way to help her with her recovery.
In the NCAA second round game between the USC Trojans and the Mississippi State Bulldogs, Watkins could be seen hurtling down on the court after she was bumped by an opponent player. Watkins was writhing on the floor with pain, clutching her knee, before she was carried off into the team’s tunnel by two trainers.
“Prayers up🙏🏽🙏🏽” Aliyah Boston tweeted from her X account in response to JuJu Watkins’ injury.
Prayers up🙏🏽🙏🏽
— Aliyah A. Boston (@aa_boston) March 25, 2025
“Sayin a prayer for her NOW” Sydney Colson tweeted a few words in support of Watkins.
Sayin a prayer for her NOW
— Sydney Colson (@SydJColson) March 25, 2025
JuJu Watkins has been playing for the USC Trojans since 2023, after playing high school basketball for Windward School and Sierra Canyon in LA. In this college basketball season, Watkins holds an impressive average of 23.9 points per game, with 6.8 rebounds and 3.4 assists in every matchup played.
This year, Watkins won the Big Ten Player of the Year award, also making it to the First-team All-Big Ten. Apart from playing college basketball, Watkins has also represented the United States basketball team on an international level.
JuJu Watkins’ USC Trojans Move Ahead Without Her Into Sweet 16 Round
The show will have to go on for the USC Trojans, despite their star JuJu Watkins suffering a season-ending ACL injury. The team will be facing the Kansas State Wildcats for the Sweet 16 round this weekend. While the USC Trojans will be coming here after defeating the Mississippi State Bulldogs, the Kansas State Wildcats are coming after winning against the Kentucky Wildcats in the NCAA second round.
The USC Trojans finished their regular season in the no.1 position of the Big Ten table with a 17-1 conference score and 30-3 overall. In this season, USC is led on offense by JuJu Watkins, obviously, while Kiki Iriafen is the second lead-scorer for the team with an 18.6 point average. Kennedy Smith has a 9.2 point average and is the third highest scorer for the team this season.
In the game against the Mississippi State Bulldogs, the USC Trojans won with a final score of 96-59, with Iriafen leading their offense with 36 points. Iriafen and Rayah Marshall also grabbed nine rebounds each to lead the team, while Talia von Oelhoffen, Avery Howell, and Kayleigh Heckel led with six assists.
For more basketball content, click on Hardwood Heroics. Sabel Reyes can be reached through [email protected]. Other websites under the Sports Heroics umbrella are Gridiron Heroics and Wisconsin Heroics.
Sabel has been working as a field reporter for People’s Television Network (PTV), mainly about the Philippine Basketball Association since 2016 and has been elevated to Executive Producer for sports in 2022. Aside from being on top of the Philippine sports scene, she is also a running enthusiast. You can also follow her on X at @SabelReyes2 and Instagram at @msabelreyes.
