SPOKANE, Wash. – JuJu Watkins was on the USC bench as the Trojans advanced to the Elite Eight with a 67-61 win over Kansas State on Saturday. Well, sort of.

Watkins tore her ACL in the second round of the tournament and therefore she did not make the trip up the coast, but her teammates wanted to include her as much as possible so they wore JuJu shirts on their way to the arena. They also took a Funko Pop with them and sat her down on the bench.

“What a sweet gesture from her teammates. JuJu Watkins (funko pop) is on the USC bench pic.twitter.com/uzAYrwbQUe” — Isabel Gonzalez (@cisabelg) March 30, 2025

“We have her in our thoughts and we are supporting her from here,” said Avery Howell. “We are taking her, her competitive nature, onto the court every single time we step there. We know that she’s back home supporting us, having a watch party, doing everything she can to give us that good juju you could say.”

In the fall, Watkins became the first NCAA athlete to have her own collectible figure. It definitely came in handy this week.

Meanwhile, Watkins posted on social media for the first time since her injury and showed she had the Trojans on her TV screen.

“JuJu Watkins is locked in and cheering on her team. This is her first social media post since her injury 🫶 pic.twitter.com/QluinJ6ezO” — Isabel Gonzalez (@cisabelg) March 30, 2025

“We still have the common goal of winning a national championship,” stated Smith. “We talked to [Watkins] before the game and she was still rooting us on. Just keeping her on our hearts and minds and playing for her, as well as for each other.”

The job won’t get any easier as the Trojans will face UConn in the Elite Eight, the same team that ended their run in that round last year. That match is scheduled for Monday at 9 p.m. ET.