When the 2025 NCAA Women's Tournament bracket was unveiled on Selection Sunday, basketball enthusiasts eagerly anticipated a possible Elite Eight rematch between the No. 1 USC Trojans and No. 2 UConn Huskies. The clash was expected to reignite the rivalry between two of college basketball’s brightest stars—JuJu Watkins and Paige Bueckers.
Bueckers and UConn had triumphed over Watkins and USC in last year’s Elite Eight, securing an 80-73 victory before falling to Caitlin Clark’s Iowa Hawkeyes in the Final Four. However, USC avenged that loss by defeating UConn 72-70 earlier this season in December. Unfortunately, this year’s rematch will be missing one of its marquee names. Watkins suffered a season-ending knee injury during the Trojans’ dominant 96-59 win over No. 9 Mississippi State.
Bueckers Expresses Empathy for Watkins' Situation
Ahead of UConn's Sweet 16 matchup against No. 3 Oklahoma, Bueckers reflected on Watkins' injury and expressed deep empathy.
“Your heart breaks for her, just the devastation,” Bueckers said on Friday. “You just empathize for her because I’ve been in that position before where you have this devastating injury. She had it at a time where it’s just the worst timing when you are playing for a national championship ... so you just feel for her.”
Bueckers Reaches Out to Offer Support
Having experienced her own battles with career-threatening injuries, Bueckers wasted no time reaching out to Watkins to offer her support and encouragement.
“I reached out to her offering my support and prayers and letting her know that we’ve exchanged numbers now, so we’re locked in,” Bueckers shared. “Whatever she needs mentally, physically, to vent, ask questions—I’m here.”
Bueckers' Personal Experience with Injury Setbacks
Bueckers, who was named the AP Player of the Year and Naismith College Player of the Year in 2021 after averaging 20 points, 5.8 assists, and 4.9 rebounds per game, knows all too well the mental and physical toll that injuries can take. After a stellar freshman year that led the Huskies to the Final Four, her career trajectory was derailed by injuries.
During her sophomore season, she was limited to just 17 games due to a tibial plateau fracture and a meniscus tear. Worse still, Bueckers missed her entire junior season after tearing her ACL during a pickup game in August 2022. Recalling her experience, Bueckers admitted feeling a “why me” mentality, plagued by frustration and unanswered questions. But she found strength through faith and perseverance.
“Your motivation, your strength, your faith, peace kicks in of, ‘Everything happens for a reason,’ and then surgery happens, and then you know that every single day that passes by is a day closer to you getting to play basketball again,” Bueckers said.
“You don’t get to be as good as JuJu if you don’t have a great motor, a great work ethic, and she’s going to attack this process just as she’s attacked basketball,” Bueckers said. “Just as she’s great at basketball, she’s going to be great at this recovery process. Just disappointed for her but know she will be back better than ever, and this will just be a little setback to the great story she will have.”
Azzi Fudd Reflects on Her Own Recovery Journey
Bueckers’ teammate Azzi Fudd, who returned this season after tearing her ACL in November 2023, also expressed her support for Watkins. Fudd emphasized the importance of staying motivated and maintaining purpose throughout the rehab process.
“I wore that, and I made sure that every day I was doing rehab, literally anything, I was doing it with a purpose because I didn’t want to take any shortcuts, and there would be a reason why a year comes, and I can’t be back on the floor playing,” Fudd said. “I know that JuJu’s going to come back from this and attack her rehab how she has every single day playing basketball like normal. But I was nauseous hearing the news for her. You don’t want to see anyone go through it, but she’s going to come back stronger.”
What’s Next for UConn and USC?
UConn is set to face No. 3 Oklahoma in the Sweet 16 on Saturday, while USC will look to continue their March Madness journey without Watkins as they meet No. 5 Kansas State. Despite the absence of their star player, the Trojans remain determined to make a deep run in the tournament.