Women's College Basketball
USC’s JuJu Watkins (knee) will miss the entire 2025-26 season due to injury
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All posts by Zach WolpinUpdated1 hour ago on September 29, 2025
Ahead of their 2025-26 season, the USC Trojans women’s basketball team was hit with devastating news. All-American JuJu Watkins will miss the entire year as she recovers from an ACL tear.
There was hope around the program that Watkins would be able to return later in the season. Those dreams came to an end on Sunday. She tore her ACL in March of 2025 against the Mississippi State Bulldogs in the NCAA tournament. Unfortunately, JuJu Watkins will miss a full season due to injury.
JuJu Watkins will miss the entire 2025-26 season as she recovers from an ACL tear
JuJu Watkins will miss the entire 2025–26 season 😔
(h/t @swishcultures_ ) pic.twitter.com/ddLKU3yFi4
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) September 29, 2025
USC’s JuJu Watkins is one of the most popular names in women’s collegiate basketball. Over her first two seasons, Watkins is a two-time All-American and one-time National Player of the Year. In 2024-25, Watkins led the Trojans to a 28-3 record and a #1 seed in the NCAA tournament. However, JuJu Watkins suffered an ACL tear in the second round of the tournament vs. Mississippi State. USC would later be eliminated in the Elite 8.
While it’s tough to miss an entire season due to injury, JuJu Watkins is taking the smart approach. She has a long career ahead of her. When her time in college is over, Watkins could take her talents to the WNBA. We’ve seen other stars like Caitlin Clark quickly adjust from college to the pros. The same will likely happen for Watkins when her collegiate career is over.
JuJu Watkins thanked her fans as she announced on social media that she’ll miss the upcoming season.
“I’m excited to keep putting the work in to come back even stronger.” 👏 (via @jujubballin) pic.twitter.com/1VUDDamFEs
— ESPN (@espn) September 29, 2025
In 33 games with USC in 2024-25, JuJu Watkins averaged 23.9 points, 3.4 assists, 6.8 rebounds, 2.2 steals, and 1.8 blocks. Her 23.9 points led all players in the Big 10. If Watkins were available for the 2025-26 season, USC would be a national championship contender. Without her, the Trojans’ path to a title is not as clear. However, the team still has talent who can help lead the way.
Kennedy Smith is expected to make a significant leap forward for USC. Her 9.5 points per game were the third-most on the team last season. The Trojans will not have their two-highest scoring players from the 2024-25 season. Jazzy Davidson is a highly touted recruit who committed to USC. The freshman guard could be an impact scorer for USC in 2025-26. She was the #1 overall player in the Class of 2025 and a McDonald’s All-American.
