The real JuJu Watkins is home recovering from a season-ending knee injury, but a 4.7 inch-all version of her is still with the team for March Madness.

USC defeated Kansas State in the absence of star guard Juju Watkins, leaning on performances from Kennedy Smith and Avery Howell.

USC's women's basketball team is continuing on even without the incredible JuJu Watkins, who shockingly tore her ACL earlier in the women's March Madness NCAA tournament.

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.