JuJu Watkins played to the point of injury to chase Caitlin Clark’s NCAA record, suggests sports broadcaster

The USC Trojans were up by over 50 points in the fourth quarter when star guard JuJu Watkins rolled her ankle in the 88-30 victory over Elon. Not only did this prompt questions from fans about why she was still in the game, but it also garnered a suggestion from a well-known sports broadcaster.

Sports Illustrated and CBS Sports Radio host Robin Lundberg uploaded a video on his YouTube channel about the incident. He questioned the decision of head coach Lindsay Gottlieb, wondering if it was to build more team chemistry or assist Watkins' pursuit of the NCAA scoring record held by former Iowa star Caitlin Clark.

"Maybe she just wants to see more of her team together, or, perhaps more plausibly, Juju Watkins is eventually going to try to pass Caitlin Clark as the all-time leading score in NCAA basketball history, and she's going to have to pad some stats at the end of games in order to do that, or in order to keep her point total up," Lundberg said.

"Nevertheless, JuJu appeared to roll her ankle and look to be in some pain. It didn't seem too serious to me, but it led to natural questions of, why is she still in the game when your team is up 50?"

Robin Lundberg sees questions going USC coach's way after JuJu Watkins

It was the second time that JuJu Watkins played in a game where the result seemed decided with only minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.

With the contest this time seeing a minor injury surface for the Trojan star, Lundberg believes that more questions will appear for the head coach.

"You have to imagine, after seeing that for USC and seeing it for a second time, there's going to be some questions headed the coach's way. And I'm not even saying necessarily, like, losing my mind over like, I mean, I can get it to a certain sense, but it does stand out when a player like her is in a game that is that much of a blowout," Lundberg said.

"I initially pointed it out the first time I saw it earlier this month, when they were up 50 with under five minutes left, and she was the only starter on the floor. You know, you think you want to give some of the other players run at some juncture of the game when it's that out of hand."

Managing Watkins' minutes on the court should be important for USC, especially when they are winning games in dominant fashion. She is averaging 24.7 points, 5.8 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 2.6 steals, and 1.9 blocks per game, playing a major role in the team's 10-1 start.

A huge matchup is coming soon for JuJu Watkins and the No. 7 Trojans as they face No. 4 UConn at the XL Center on Dec. 21 at 8 p.m. ET.