Every supporter of women's basketball held their breath on Monday evening as they awaited the MRI results for star USC guard Juju Watkins.
The Trojans' First-Team All-American took a tough fall against the Mississippi State Bulldogs in the second round of the NCAA Tournament and had to be carried off the court by USC medical and training personnel.
News broke late on Monday evening that Watkins had suffered a torn ACL on her right knee and would need to undergo surgery to repair it. This confirmed what most fans already knew or assumed, but the reality that she will not be on the court for the rest of March Madness or the majority of next season is starting to sink in.
Support for Watkins began to pour in after the injury from athletes, analysts and fans all around the country. One of the WNBA's biggest stars even sent the young player a message.
Caitlin Clark sends message to Juju Watkins after injury
On Tuesday morning, star Indiana Fever guard Caitlin made a post on X regarding Watkins' injury and sent the Trojans' phenom some words of encouragement.
"Sending all my thoughts and prayers to Juju (Watkins)," wrote Clark. "(The) Kid will come back stronger than ever."
These words must mean a lot to Watkins, coming from a player like Clark. The two of them are alike in so many ways, especially in the sense that they understand the immense pressure that can come with being the face of women's college basketball and the disappointment of potentially letting down your massive fan base.
However, fans are disappointed for Watkins; they are not disappointed in her, and that is a huge difference to understand. Most people just want Watkins to succeed for her and her team's legacy, not for any other reason.
While this is a major blow to the Trojans, both physically and emotionally, the team is still well-situated to make a deep March Madness run. It may not be as easy, but the team rallied together on Monday in the absence of their beloved teammate and performed just fine.