Did JuJu Watkins tear her ACL? Exploring potential aftermath of USC star's horrifying injury vs MS State 

JuJu Watkins is the main reason the USC Trojans have reached where it is today in the NCAA tournament. Since Cheryl Miller's era, USC was not hopeful during March Madness until a big name like Watkins joined the program.

However, the whole USC women's basketball program's hopes took a massive hit when the star sophomore guard collapsed on the floor holding her right knee in pain during USC's matchup against Mississippi State.

With a little over four minutes left in the first quarter, Watkins came crashing down on a transition play and was carried off the floor by USC staff members. She was seen holding her right knee writhing in pain on the floor. While most fans feared this could be an ACL, several renowned physical therapists and doctors also commented on the potential effects of this incident.

Potential aftermath of JuJu Watkins' injury

Jeff Mueller, a physical therapist from Fresno, California raised concerns that it may be an ACL issue.

"Juju Watkins - Right knee buckles inward on her plant after she was slightly bumped. Concern for ACL+ #MarchMadness", he wrote on X/Twitter.

Sebastian Fearon, an army veteran Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) also said that the best-case scenario seems to be a bone bruise which requires at least 1-2 weeks in recovery.

JuJu Watkins falling down while MS State players defend in transition. [NCAA Womens Basketball: NCAA Tournament Second Round USC-Mississippi State - Source: Imagn]

Dr. Evan Jeffries, a renowned DPT from San Diego, California, also raised concerns over a potential ACL tear after seeing the incident on TV.

What does this mean for USC in March Madness?

USC played the rest of the game without JuJu Watkins and still came out on top by 37 points as they beat MS State 96-59 to proceed to the next round (Sweet 16) in March Madness.

With this win, the Trojans are now set to face Kansas State in the next round. But will most likely do so without their star player, Watkins, who led the team in three out of five main stats for the season (only rebounds and blocks are led by other players). While there isn't a confirmed timeline for her return, experts certainly seem to be worried about the worst-case scenario: an ACL tear.

An ACL tear is arguably the worst injury to happen to a basketball player. Players tend to find it hardest to come back from this injury. Some famous victims of ACL tears include Paige Bueckers (who had a 369-day recovery period, missing an entire season), Kyrie Irving (who is out for the remaining NBA season at the moment) and Derrick Rose (who arguably never recovered fully from the 2012-13 season incident).