SPOKANE, Washington — A team has two choices when it loses a player the magnitude of JuJu Watkins: come apart or come together.
For USC, it’s the latter. At least for now.
The Trojans gutted out a win in their first game without the presumptive player of the year, scrapping for buckets, not giving an inch to Kansas State and making free throws down the stretch. Kennedy Smith (19 points) and Avery Howell (18 points) both tied their season highs, and Kiki Iriafen snagged a critical rebound with 32 seconds left to secure the 67-61 win for the No. 1-seeded Trojans.
When the final buzzer sounded, USC players threw their arms in the air as if they’d won the biggest game of the season. Which, in many ways, this was.
Watkins, the current face of women’s basketball, blew out her knee during USC’s second-round game against Mississippi State on Monday. It sucked the life out of the tournament and was a devastating blow for the Trojans, psychologically and from a stats perspective.
Watkins led USC in points (23.9) and minutes played (33.9), was tied for first in assists (3.4) and was third in rebounds (6.8).
But the Trojans weren’t going to go without a fight. When they left the team hotel for Saturday’s game, every player was wearing a T-shirt with Watkins’ face and signature bun on it.
"We got her back,” coach Lindsay Gottlieb said. "We know her imprints are all over this program and we are going to channel her energy today and fight for USC."
It gets harder from here, however. USC now plays UConn in what was originally billed as "Paige vs. JuJu,” a matchup of the two most exciting and charismatic players in the women’s game. Instead, it will be up to Watkins’ teammates to try and derail Paige Bueckers and the Huskies.
"It wouldn't surprise me if Southern California wins the national championship and shows the character that those kids have,” UConn coach Geno Auriemma said.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: USC wins without JuJu, but UConn and Paige Bueckers wait in Elite Eight
