USC star JuJu Watkins carried off the court with apparent ACL injury in NCAA Tournament

7:48 a.m. update: Watkins suffered a torn ACL in her right knee and will undergo surgery, per ESPN’s Sham Charania. This ends her tournament and raises questions about her status for the start of the 2025-26 basketball season.

Breaking: USC phenom JuJu Watkins has suffered a torn ACL in her right knee, sources tell ESPN. She will undergo surgery.

USC star sophomore JuJu Watkins had to be carried off the floor by multiple members of the Trojans’ staff after going down with an apparent lower body injury in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Monday night in Los Angeles, California.

As No. 1 USC led ninth-seeded Mississippi State 13-2 in the first quarter, Watkins was racing to the other end of the floor on a fast break when two defenders converged on her. After receiving some contact from one Mississippi State player, Watkins lost the ball and collapsed to the floor. She then immediately grabbed her right knee and grimaced in pain as her teammates surrounded her.

Two members of USC’s staff then lifted Watkins off her feet and carried her to the locker room.

Watkins exited the game at the 4:43 mark of the opening frame, having tallied three points, two assists and a rebound. She still hadn’t returned to the bench midway through the second quarter.

USC announced during the game that Watkins would not return to the second round game on Monday night and was being evaluated.

A consensus First-Team All-American selection this season, Watkins averages 24.6 points, 7.1 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 2.3 steals and 1.8 blocks per game. She led USC to the Big Ten regular season title this season in its first year in the league.

This is a developing story that SB Nation will update as more information becomes available.