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JuJu Watkins is named the recipient of one of the most prestigious annual honors in college basketball, the Wooden Award. USC's sophomore guard was in contention for the trophy with UConn's Paige Bueckers and beat her by 46 votes. The other finalists were Notre Dame's Hannah Hidalgo, UCLA's Lauren Betts and Texas' Madison Booker.
As the Trojans and Wooden Award's IG handle updated the fans of the star guard's latest achievement, she displayed gratitude by reposting it to her story with a brief message:
"so blessed," she wrote.
After being surpassed by only Caitlin Clark in scoring in her freshman year, JuJu Watkins maintained her stature as one of the most proficient scorers in college basketball this season.
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Few of her most intense games involved the 72-70 win over UConn and three games against UCLA (2-1). Watkins posted 25 points against the Huskies and averaged 35.6 points, 6.6 rebounds, four assists, 3.6 blocks, and 2.3 steals against the Bruins.
Overall, the guard averaged 26.1 points, 8.1 rebounds and 4.5 assists against ranked teams in the regular season on a 39.8% clip. USC recorded a 6-1 record against these teams, only losing to Notre Dame.
Uncertainty lingers at USC behind JuJu Watkins' injury
JuJu Watkins suffered a season-ending ACL injury in the second-round NCAA tournament game against Mississippi State. The guard was helped out of the court and is scheduled for surgery, sparking speculations that she will have to miss the complete 2025-26 season of college basketball.
Moreover, 1995 NCAA champion and former WNBA player Rebecca Lobo expressed that a 12-month recovery process is ideal for players who have suffered the same injuries as Watkins.
"What we've seen, especially recently with high-level athletes in terms of women's college basketball - is it's about a 12-month recovery process for them to get back on the court," she said on NBA Today earlier this month.
In case JuJu Watkins misses the entire next season, the team will have to head into a complete rebuild/retooling, while ensuring the dynamics play out when Watkins returns back to action.
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