Even if she will be sidelined for the 2025-26 college basketball season, USC Trojans guard JuJu Watkins is still giving her all towards supporting her teammates. On Tuesday, Nov. 4, Watkins shared an Instagram post by @uscwbb, which included a graphic design of her teammate, Kennedy Nicole. Coach Lindsay Gottlieb’s 2025-26 Trojans will be opening their season on Tuesday without Watkins, who is out with an injury.
The Trojans are scheduled to face the New Mexico State Aggies on their home floor, the Galen Center in Los Angeles, California, for their first game of the new year and first of their non-conference schedule. While several onlookers have already booked USC to walk away with the victory, there are speculations about how the Trojans, as a whole, will be faring throughout the campaign without the services of Watkins.
“About that time!!,” Watkins captioned.
While Watkins included a three-word reaction to hype up her teammates from coach Gottlieb‘s squad, she will presumably continue with her recovery from her torn right ACL injury for the rest of the year. The young standout suffered the setback in the second round of the 2025 national tournament, when Watkins was going up for a fast break contested layup against two defenders from the Mississippi State Bulldogs.
Without Watkins for the remainder of the postseason matchup, the 2024-25 Trojans pulled through and won by 37 points, 96-59. USC eventually made it all the way to the Elite Eight of this year’s NCAA tournament, where their season came to an end at the hands of the eventual 2025 national champions, the UConn Huskies, by 14 points, 78-64. The Los Angeles-based program now looks to improve on that run this year.
Read More: Predicting Lindsay Gottlieb’s USC Trojans Starting Lineup for 2025-26 Season
JuJu Watkins Has Been Documenting Her Road To Recovery In The Form Of A TV Show
On Oct. 30, JuJu Watkins posted a video to her Instagram account, revealing that Season 2 of “On The Rise: JuJu Watkins” is set to premiere on Nov. 15.
The show is an in-depth look at the on-court and off-court life of Watkins, with Season 2 presumably set to be all about her road to recovery from her torn ACL.
“The road to recovery for @jujubballin starts now. 💪🏾Season 2 of ON THE RISE premieres on @nbcsports and @peacock on 11/15. Presented by @statefarm #StateFarmPartner,” @uninterrupted on Instagram captioned.
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Also Read: JuJu Watkins 2027 WNBA Draft Early Projection: 5 Landing Spots for the USC Guard
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