It's just a 4.7 inch-tall version of her. As the Trojans try to make their first Final Four since 1986 without their star, who is recovering from her season-ending knee injury, they've made sure Watkins is included in the run as much as possible.

JuJu Watkins was on the USC bench as the Trojans advanced to the Elite Eight with a 67-61 win over Kansas State on Saturday. Well, sort of. Watkins tore her ACL in the second round of the tournament and therefore she did not make the trip up the coast.

Watkins' suffered a season-ending knee injury in the second round. The ramifications extend beyond the Trojans.

Kennedy Smith, Avery Howell and Kayleigh Heckel fill the void left by injured Trojans’ star JuJu Watkins in a gritty Sweet 16 win over Kansas State, setting up a second straight meeting with

Freshman Kennedy Smith scores 19 and Avery Howell adds 18 as USC beats Kansas State 67-61 without injured star JuJu Watkins, setting up Elite Eight rematch with UConn.

JuJu Watkins has spent the 2024 college basketball season doing what few have ever done in a USC Trojans uniform — dominating every game she touched. The sophomore guard led the Trojans to a 30-3 record and a No.

The mindset could not have been clearer for USC heading into its Sweet 16 clash against Kansas State. The Trojans, a woman down without superstar JuJu Watkins, still expected to live up to their billing as the top seed and come out with a win against No.

Monday night's Elite Eight matchup between USC and UConn was supposed to be a showdown between perhaps the two best players in the country. The Trojans' Juju Watkins and the Huskies' Paige Bueckers squaring off with a trip to the Final Four on the line for the second consecutive year would have been appointment television.

As the UConn Huskies look to make it back to the Final Four, which would be their 24th trip there under head coach Geno Auriemma, the USC Trojans stand in their way.