USC women's basketball live updates from their Elite Eight game in March Madness. USC Trojans superstar JuJu Watkins' season-ending knee injury drastically changes USC's March Madness run.

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 riding high during a stellar sophomore season, leading USC to a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. But her dreams were dashed when she tore her ACL in the second round of March Madness,

Here's what USC women's basketball and star Kiki Iriafen bring to the Elite Eight vs. UConn in the women's NCAA Tournament.

UConn star Paige Bueckers' quest for a championship continues. USC is playing with motivation from JuJu Watkins' absence.

The Trojans take on UConn and stars Paige Bueckers and Sarah Strong at 9 p.m. ET. They already have a head-to-head win over the Huskies from December, but they won't have the services of Watkins, who scored a game-high 25 points, this time around.

As the USC statement indicated, Watkins will require surgery and then rehab. In recent history, women’s basketball players have needed about a year to recover from a torn ACL. For example, UConn’s Azzi Fudd, LSU’s Sa’Myah Smith and Ole Miss’ KK Deans each tore an ACL in November 2023 yet returned to game action by November 2024.

USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb said during a press conference on Friday that JuJu Watkins' season-ending ACL tear was not the result of a dirty play. Gottlieb also condemned the online abuse that Mississippi State players have faced in the wake of the injury,

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.