USC lost guard JuJu Watkins to an ACL injury Monday but the Trojans are making the best of a bad situation.
On Saturday, USC locked horns with No. 5 Kansas State in the Sweet 16. It was not easy sledding for the Trojans—they trailed 30–28 at the half—but they had Watkins with them in spirit.
As pointed out by Yahoo! Sports, USC kept a Funko Pop of Watkins on its team bench against the Wildcats. With her inspiration's trademark bun and Trojans uniform, Funko Watkins kept a careful watch on the proceedings.
USC is keeping a Funko Pop of JuJu Watkins on the bench ❤️ pic.twitter.com/7G73D0E1za
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) March 30, 2025
Watkins's injury was a crushing blow to USC. The guard, a two-time All-American, averaged 23.9 points per game as a sophomore after averaging 27.1 as a freshman; the former figure led the Big Ten and the latter a stacked Pac-12.
However, it appears the Trojans are doing their best to keep Watkins in their thoughts—and remind opponents of what they're fortunate to dodge.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as USC Finds Fun Way to Pay Tribute to Injured JuJu Watkins During Sweet 16 Game.
