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On Monday night, USC women's basketball suffered the worst possible news when it was announced that sophomore superstar Juju Watkins is officially out for the remainder of the season. Watkins will undergo surgery to repair a torn ACL.
Watkins's injury is a brutal blow for a team that looked to be a serious national championship contender prior. Despite how it may feel, however, USC's season is not over. On Saturday, the Trojans will play in the Sweet 16 for just the second time in the past 30 years.
So now, the burning question is: How far can USC go in the tournament without Watkins?
The Trojans are set to take on No. 5 seed Kansas State in Spokane, Washington on Saturday. Even with Watkins out, USC is still a 1.5-point favorite. While a loss would not be stunning, the Trojans have enough good players that they should be capable of beating the Wildcats even without Watkins.
After that, however, things get much more difficult. A victory over Kansas State would likely mean an Elite Eight rematch with UConn, who eliminated the Trojans in the same round of the tournament last year. Win that one, and USC could very well be looking at a grudge match with rival UCLA in the Final Four.
Beating the Huskies and/or the Bruins was going to be a challenge even with Watkins. Without her, it feels like a massive long shot. Hence, with their superstar out for the season, defeating Kansas State Saturday and advancing to their second consecutive Elite Eight feels like the realistic ceiling for the Trojans.
An Elite Eight appearance would be nothing to be a shamed of, especially after the program went three decades without appearing in one. But unless the Trojans somehow win the national championship without Watkins, this season will be remembered by fans as a heartbreaking case of what could have been had she stayed healthy.
USC received terrific performances up and down the lineup against Mississippi State. Now, however, the Trojans can't rely on a Galen Center crowd for adrenaline. They will be on a neutral floor in Spokane. Can each Trojan play as well as we saw against Mississippi State? That might not be realistic. The more realistic scenario: One or two of the role players join Kiki Iriafen in playing at an elite level against Kansas State. Maybe it's Avery Howell. Maybe it's Kennedy Smith. Maybe it's Kayleigh Heckel.
Would USC love all three to shine? Naturally. If two of the three flourish, the Trojans might still be fine. The question is if the Trojans can survive if only one of the three provides significant production alongside Iriafen.
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: USC will take the court in its next game without Juju Watkins
Continue reading...
Watkins's injury is a brutal blow for a team that looked to be a serious national championship contender prior. Despite how it may feel, however, USC's season is not over. On Saturday, the Trojans will play in the Sweet 16 for just the second time in the past 30 years.
So now, the burning question is: How far can USC go in the tournament without Watkins?
The Trojans are set to take on No. 5 seed Kansas State in Spokane, Washington on Saturday. Even with Watkins out, USC is still a 1.5-point favorite. While a loss would not be stunning, the Trojans have enough good players that they should be capable of beating the Wildcats even without Watkins.
After that, however, things get much more difficult. A victory over Kansas State would likely mean an Elite Eight rematch with UConn, who eliminated the Trojans in the same round of the tournament last year. Win that one, and USC could very well be looking at a grudge match with rival UCLA in the Final Four.
Beating the Huskies and/or the Bruins was going to be a challenge even with Watkins. Without her, it feels like a massive long shot. Hence, with their superstar out for the season, defeating Kansas State Saturday and advancing to their second consecutive Elite Eight feels like the realistic ceiling for the Trojans.
An Elite Eight appearance would be nothing to be a shamed of, especially after the program went three decades without appearing in one. But unless the Trojans somehow win the national championship without Watkins, this season will be remembered by fans as a heartbreaking case of what could have been had she stayed healthy.
USC received terrific performances up and down the lineup against Mississippi State. Now, however, the Trojans can't rely on a Galen Center crowd for adrenaline. They will be on a neutral floor in Spokane. Can each Trojan play as well as we saw against Mississippi State? That might not be realistic. The more realistic scenario: One or two of the role players join Kiki Iriafen in playing at an elite level against Kansas State. Maybe it's Avery Howell. Maybe it's Kennedy Smith. Maybe it's Kayleigh Heckel.
Would USC love all three to shine? Naturally. If two of the three flourish, the Trojans might still be fine. The question is if the Trojans can survive if only one of the three provides significant production alongside Iriafen.
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: USC will take the court in its next game without Juju Watkins
Continue reading...
