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Unfortunately, Monday’s second round gave us the most devastating moment of the tournament.
During No. 1-seed USC’s game against No. 9-seed Mississippi State, JuJu Watkins suffered an injury as she drove to the basket in the first quarter. She was writhing in pain and had to be carried off the court by the USC staff. Watkins never returned to play, and after the game, Shams Charania of ESPN confirmed that she had torn her ACL in her right knee.
The game may feel like an afterthought, but the Trojans did take care of business despite the obvious challenge of missing Watkins. USC defeated Mississippi State 96-59, and Kiki Iriafen was magnificent, scoring 36 points on 16-for-22 shooting. She was a shining star in a night filled with darkness inside the Galen Center. She’ll try to do it again when the Trojans take on No. 5-seed Kansas State on Saturday, when a spot in the Elite 8 will be on the line.
While Watkins’ injury and its implications will dominate conversations, there were other important matchups that took place on Monday. Here is a round up of the other games:
UConn dominates again
No. 2-seed UConn took care of business, defeating No. 10-seed South Dakota, 91-57. Paige Bueckers was sensational in the win, scoring 34 points on 14-for-21 shooting.
With USC now forced to play without Watkins, UConn suddenly has an easier path to the Final Four, and considering how well they’ve played so far, they just might be the team to beat in this tourney. On Saturday, the Huskies will meet No. 3-seed Oklahoma in the Sweet 16.
Another No. 1 wins
Top-seed Texas made quick work of No. 8-seed Illinois. They defeated them 65-48, and Madison Booker had a stellar game for the Longhorns. She finished with 20 points and six rebounds, leading Texas in both statistical categories.
Now they will play in the Sweet 16 against No. 5-seed Tennessee, who earned their spot after beating No. 4-seed Ohio State on Sunday.
The best of the rest
There were no upsets on Monday, as all the higher seeds won.
No. 2-seed NC State netted an NCAA Tournament-record 15 3-pointers as they beat No. 7-seed Michigan State, 83-49, while No. 3-seed LSU, their opponent in the Sweet 16, took care of No. 6-seed Florida State, 101-71.
No. 3-seed Oklahoma ended No. 6-seed Iowa’s run, winning 96-62 to earn their Sweet 16 date with UConn. No. 3-seed UNC beat No. 6-seed West Virginia, 58-47, after No. 4-seed Maryland needed a 17-point comeback and double overtime to ultimately win 111-108 against No. 5-seed Alabama, surviving an epic 45 points, including three clutch free throws to force the second overtime, from Bama’s Sarah Ashlee Barker. North Carolina and Maryland will both be back in action on Friday, meeting No. 2-seed Duke and No. 1-seed South Carolina, respectively, in the Sweet 16.
Now, we get a few days off before the Sweet 16 begins on Friday. With the stakes rising and the action heating up, some elite hoops will undoubtedly happen. Unfortunately, Watkins will be robbed of a chance to earn that national title.
