Los Angeles-OSC star Juju Watkins will miss the rest of the NCAA tournament after having a torn acl in the right knee during the second round match against the Mississippi province of Trojan horses.
A team spokesman said Watkins will undergo the end of the season and then begin rehabilitation.
Watkins should be transported from the court due to only five minutes injury to the 96-59 win, which pushed USC’s Trojan horses to Sweet 16.
When Watkins went to the basket when he took a quick break between the two defenders, he fouls and caused him to collapse on the ground while sewing his leg. Watkins immediately held the knee and stayed more than a minute.
The crowd in the Galen Center held his breath collectively as the trainers had to remove Watkins and take him to the locker room. Before he left, he made three free throws, one rebound and two assists and 2 shots from 2.
USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb, “I would have lied if I told you I didn’t see Juju on the floor.” He said. “This is a human game, and so I tried my best to be what should be for the team, but it’s too much.”
The team announced in the first half that Watkins were evaluated by medical personnel and will not return. In the absence of Kiki Iriafen, Trojan horses to take the second weekend of the tournament to take the 22 -point shot of the 36 points of the season.
After the game, Gottlieb and a few USC players passed a series of emotions. They had seen their best players in tears, they couldn’t get out of the field, and their coaches “swing” with the incident. Nevertheless, Trojan horses also walked to perform a raid against a physical team.
Im We didn’t want to disappoint him, Ir Iriafen said to Holly Rowe from Espn. “We just want to keep dancing, so what I want to do is. I think it’s just our hardness.”
After Watkins was injured, the crowded ball booed loudly Mississippi State. The school’s amigo girls booed during their performance between the circuit, and the crowd warmed up for the second half while the team was pushed again.
Mississippi state guard Jerkaila Jordan throwing 17 points, “They will stand behind the host teams. They will go hard for Juju,” he said. “I could not do anything but respect them.”
Gottlieb said: “You can’t tell me how angry the energy of the crowd and how angry they are with the other team and how angry they are for our team.
While the USC was building a great leadership, the game took a different tone, a few minutes Trojan horse player “Chippy” was described. Everything resulted in a hand -squeezing line after a game that should be separated from both teams.
Gottlieb wanted to show that West Coast teams did not comply with the task of encountering the election stiffness, and Trojan horses wanted to do so.
Gottlieb, “We know that we have no punk in our locker room, we have a team to step.” He said. “This team gathered, [Watkins]They gathered for each other. “
Watkins, a competitor for the election of the Associated Press All-American and the national player of the year, made an average of 24.6 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.5 assists this season, and the Trojan horses were now the driving force behind the 30-3 campaign, the team saw that the fourth NCAA tournament was the number 1 seed in the NCAA tournament.
USC reached Elite Eight in Watkins’ first season a year ago and lost to Paige Bueckers and Uconn. Teams can meet again in a regional final in Washington, Spokane this year, but this time the USC will have to try to beat Huskies without Watkins.
“I think as a athlete, I think you are suitable for the departments,” Guard Talia von Oelhoffen said. He said. “Obviously, Ju team is too much, but we have a lot of talent, we have a lot of depth, and no matter who we don’t think we’re shaken by losing a player.”
At the end of the news conference on Monday night, Gottlieb tried to summarize the impact of Watkins on the success of the program, which was built on the success a year ago.
“Obviously, if there is a serious injury for Juju, but at the same time, I hope he can only see the importance that goes far beyond his talent and abilities.” He said. “I mean, generations, this is the way everyone’s galvanizing.”
Information from the Associated Press is included in this report.
