USC superstar JuJu Watkins sent a message to her team after the Trojans’ 78-64 Elite Eight loss to UConn in the NCAA Tournament on Monday.
Watkins — who’s away from the team after suffering a season-ending torn ACL in her right knee just five minutes into USC’s second-round win over Mississippi State last Monday — said her heart is with her teammates in a note posted to her Instagram Story.
“Thank you all for the incredible love and support. Seeing all your messages and kind words has meant the world to me — y’all have given me so much hope,” Watkins, 19, wrote.
“Right now, my heart is with my teammates – I wish I could have been out there battling, but I couldn’t be prouder of the fight we’ve fought together. Thank you all.”
The No. 2-seeded Huskies — led by senior guard Paige Bueckers, who is the projected top pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft — advanced to their record 24th Final Four with Monday’s win over the No. 1-seeded Trojans.
UConn will face UCLA, another No. 1 seed, on Friday.
Watkins was a pivotal part of USC earning the program’s No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament for the second straight season following a historic run to the Elite Eight last season.
The Trojans suffered an 80-73 to Bueckers and the Huskies last year to come up short of the Final Four.
Watkins — who averaged 24.6 points, seven rebounds, 3.5 assists, 2.3 steals and 1.8 blocks — will undergo season-ending surgery and then begin rehabilitation, the team announced last Tuesday.
The sophomore guard was injured while was driving to the basket on a fast break — and was fouled between two Bulldogs defenders when she fell to the floor grabbing her knee in pain.
Watkins was carried off the court and did not return to bench.
USC will be tasked with navigating the next season potentially without its superstar player.
“We don’t know what JuJu will do. Will she take the whole year and redshirt? Will she try to come back at some point,” USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb said told ESPN Monday after their season ended.
“Those aren’t conversations for right now, but I do think we will dive into how do we stay an elite team regardless of those circumstances? We will have time to figure out how to be great, even if JuJu isn’t out there.”
Gottlieb added that she has no doubt in the strength of their program.
“But I have no doubt that her comeback’s going to be legendary, and I have no doubt that the strength of the program is not in doubt, and I think we proved that,” she said.
