Kansas State Must Play Waiting Game Against USC After JuJu Watkins Injury

Mar 24, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; USC Trojans guard JuJu Watkins (12) grabs her knee after falling g to the floor during the first quarter of an NCAA Tournament second round game against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Galen Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images | Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images

The Kansas State Wildcats women's basketball team is in the Sweet 16 for the first time in 23 years.

Now, all they have to do is defeat No. 1 seed USC to continue the run in the NCAA Tournament. The Trojans easily defeated Mississippi State in the second round to advance but did it without star Juju Watkins.

Watkins sustained a knee injury in the first quarter. Her status remains unknown for Saturday's game.

Watkins is one of college basketball's brightest stars. She was a first-team All-American and won the Big Ten Player of the Year Award. She is lumped in the category of Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese as players who helped the women's game gain popularity.

Watkins was carted off the court after sustaining the injury. It occured after the Trojans held a comfortable lead but they still cruised to an easy victory against the Tigers. The No. 1-seeded Trojans enter Saturday's game with a 30-3 record and are likely still considered the favorite against Wildcats with or without Watkins.

Still, the injury adds some suspense to the matchup. The Wildcats, who rallied to defeat Kentucky in the second round, know all about playing without star players. They were without second-team All-Big 12 player Ayoke Lee for the second half of the season.

Lee was sidelined since mid-January because of a foot injury. She only played one regular season game before returning for the NCAA Tournament.

Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Kansas State Wildcats On SI. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com

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