Without JuJu Watkins, USC faces daunting Sweet 16 challenge against Kansas State

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Without JuJu Watkins, USC faces daunting Sweet 16 challenge against Kansas State

JuJu Watkins, the superstar USC guard who sustained a season-ending knee injury in the second round, is out for the rest of the NCAA Tournament. The Trojans announced late Monday night that Watkins will undergo surgery and then begin rehabilitation.

That leaves the top-seeded Trojans with the unenviable task of moving ahead in the NCAA Tournament without their star, who is arguably the best player in the nation.

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USC will meet No. 5 seed Kansas State in Spokane on Saturday in a matchup that suddenly looks much different than it did on Monday morning. Without Watkins on the floor, the Trojans are a fundamentally different team against the Wildcats, who are in a prime position to pull off the upset.

With that in mind, here are five things to know about Kansas State heading into the weekend:

1. Hello, offense

Kansas State has no problem scoring and will keep USC’s defense on its toes early and often.

The Wildcats’ 2,781 points this season are a school record and their best mark since 1979-80. Kansas State is averaging 79.5 points per game, which ranks 13th nationally, and is right on par with the Trojans, who average 81.6.

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It all starts with point guard Serena Sundell, who is arguably the best facilitator in the game right now as the Wildcats’ career assists leader. Sundell, a senior, leads the country with 256 assists and is averaging a nation-best 7.3 per game. In wins against Fairfield in Round 1 and Kentucky in Round 2, she dished out 23 total assists, including 14 against Kentucky for a school record in an NCAA Tournament game. Kansas State’s elite 1.67 assist/turnover ratio ranks second nationally behind only UConn and is a major reason the Wildcats have sustained success as one of the nation’s most explosive offenses.

And of course, there’s the 3-point shooting.

Kansas State has knocked down 38.77 percent of its attempts from beyond the arc, which ranks second…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/article/without-juju-watkins-usc-faces-111607615.html

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Publish date : 2025-03-27 11:16:00

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