USC Trojans’ JuJu Watkins Featured In Inspirational Gatorade Ad After Injury

USC Trojans guard JuJu Watkins suffered a season ending torn ACL in the Trojans’ second round win NCAA Tournament last week. Gatorade, who Watkins has an NIL deal with, posted a new ad featuring Watkins following her injury.

Mar 24, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; USC Trojans guard JuJu Watkins (12) is carried off the court after injuring his knee 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 ad has a picture of Watkins with a basketball, with the words “Setbacks Only Set The Stage.” It will be a long road to recovery for Watkins, whose status next season is very much in doubt.

USC Trojans Without JuJu Watkins For Foreseeable Future

JuJu Watkins’ tearing her ACL in last week’s win over Mississippi State was a devastating blow for Watkins and the Trojans. As a sophomore this season, Watkins led USC in scoring and assists with 23.9 points and 3.4 assists per game. She is one of the favorites to win National Player of the Year. In their first year in the Big Ten, USC won the regular season title and entered March Madness with a 28-3 overall record.

For the second year in a row, the Trojans earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Last season, USC lost in the Elite Eight to the UConn Huskies. This season, they were looking to get over the hump and make their first Final Four since 1986. That is now a tall task with Watkins out of the picture.

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USC vs. UConn In Elite Eight, Trip To Final Four on the Line

Mar 29, 2025; Spokane, WA, USA; UConn Huskies guard Paige Bueckers (5) shoots against Oklahoma Sooners guard Reyna Scott (2) during the second half of a Sweet 16 NCAA Tournament basketball game at Spokane Arena. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-Imagn Images | James Snook-Imagn Images

The USC Trojans survived their first game without Watkins in the Sweet 16. USC pulled out a low scoring 67-61 win over the No. 5 seed, Kansas State Wildcats. Leading the way for USC was guard Kennedy Smith with 19 points and freshman guard Avery Howell, who added another 18 points. Both Smith and Howell averaged single digit points this season, but stepped up when the team needed a boost in the wake of Watkins absence.

Now, USC will face off against the No. 2 seed UConn Huskies on Monday night for a trip to the Final Four. The Trojans will need to get contributions from everybody if they want any chance to take down Paige Bueckers and her Huskies.

Despite USC being the No. 1 seed and UConn being the No. 2 seed in this region, UConn is a 15.5 point favorite over USC per FanDuel Sportsbook. UConn is also the overwhelming favorite to win the National Championship, with odds of -130. The Trojans were among the favorites prior to the tournament, but have nosedived to +5000 after the Watkins injury.

Will USC be able to rally behind Watkins and punch their ticket to Tampa for the Final Four?

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