"Reminds me of Kawhi ACL"; "take my knee": College hoops fans react as JuJu Watkins gets carried off court with apparent knee injury 

The USC Trojans, led by JuJu Watkins, are vying for their first national title in the 21st century in this year's March Madness. On Monday, they were matched up against the No. 9 Mississippi State Bulldogs as the top seed of Spokane Regional 4 for the second round of the 2025 national tournament.

But, it seems as though the Lindsay Gottlieb-coached team just got a big blow in their national championship hopes, as sophomore superstar Watkins was carried off the court with an apparent right knee injury, through which she could not put any weight on nor walk on her own two feet.

The sequence happened at the 4:43 mark of the first period, with USC ahead by 11 points, 13-2. Watkins was going for a fastbreak layup against two Mississippi State defenders before she planted her right foot for a move but it unfortunately buckled, causing her to go down in pain while grimacing on her right leg.

College basketball fans shared their reactions to the spitfire scorer's injury on social media, offering any kind of support for a hopeful minor setback.

"This reminds me of the Kawhi ACL injury in 2021, hoping for the best," one fan compared to the NBA superstar.

"No JuJu Watkins...Take my knee," another fan said.

"Dang, hate to see a season end like this. Sending prayers to her," a fan added.

"Hope Juju Watkins is ok. Did not look good," one fan wrote.

Here are some more reactions from fans on X/Twitter:

"It is a knee that buckled and gave out which means ligament tear. Pray it’s not too serious. But for her not to put weight on it. It could be the ACL. Screaming in pain like that. SMH, we feel for her," one fan speculated.

"USC, JuJu Watkins injury. One of the best players in women’s basketball just went down with a right knee injury. Don’t love the optics here at all. Right knee collapses + immediate grab near front of knee + unable to put any weight on it. At this point, prayers up for Juju," another fan posted.

"She tore multiple things, man," one fan wrote.

Watkins was subsequently ruled out for the remainder of the game, finishing with three points, all coming from the free throw line, one rebound and two assists in six minutes logged.

Kiki Iriafen will have to step up in place of JuJu Watkins

As the whole college basketball scene, especially the USC faithful, pray and hope for a speedy recovery for JuJu Watkins, her teammate Kiki Iriafen will likely have to be the one to step up her production in her absence. For the season, Iriafen has followed suit with Watkins' production as the team's second-leading scorer.

In her first year with the USC Trojans, after transferring from the Stanford Cardinal, Iriafen has averaged 18.0 ppg, a team-high 8.4 rpg and 1.9 apg.