How Serious Is JuJu Watkins’ Ankle Injury? Can She Recover Before March Madness?

USC made an emphatic statement when they took down the formidable Stanford in the Pac-12 tournament Finals. On a historic night, the lady Trojans secure a grinding 74-61 victory over the No.1 Cardinals to taste championship glory in a decade. However, this win was missing the special touch of their rockstar freshman JuJu Watkins.

The 18-year-old had a quiet outing as her 39 minutes on the court could only produce 9 points and 3 rebounds. As it turns out, her underperforming night had something to do with an unfortunate incident that happened in the semi-finals against Bruins.

An epic rivalry awaited the enticing contest which involved USC and UCLA on March 9th. Unfortunately, the experience turned out to be painful for the 6 ft 2 in guard despite scoring a fantastic double-double which included 33 points and 10 rebounds. In the first minute itself, Watkins fell on the floor spraining her ankle in the process. As a result, she had to leave the proceedings in the middle to further evaluate the situation.

Watkins returned two minutes later and put on a heroic display. She faced a similar situation in the game’s first overtime period when she injured herself again. Her efforts however were rewarded as Trojans went past Bruins 80-70 to advance into the Finals. Yet, their victory was clouded by a massive injury scare involving their biggest asset.

After the game ended, Watkins reflected on her injury saying, “Even when I went out, I knew I’d get back in, because my team needed me. It’s just an ankle. Nothing I’m not used to. Feel great.”

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But does the medical staff agree with JuJu Watkins?

How healthy is JuJu Watkins for the NCAA tournament?

According to a report by the Pac-12 Network broadcast, Watkins appears to be in an acceptable condition to take part in her upcoming games. USC’s medical staff have run a few tests on this gritty athlete’s ankle to determine its strength. Following this, some positive results have come forward citing that she can put weight on her ankle and can also run to her full capacity. But these are still preliminary reports as Watkins will go through a much more thorough evaluation later on before March Madness begins.

USC has shown that they can function even with a subdued performance from its No.12. Yet, fans will still hope that JuJu Watkins is in her best shape for the business end of the tournament. Evidently, everyone is aware of what she is capable of once she is able to unlock her 100% capabilities.

Read More- Making It to Semifinals of Pac-12 Conference, JuJu Watkins Opens Up on How She Tackled Arizona’s Defense

What are your thoughts on JuJu Watkin’s injury? Let us know in the comments section.