Head coach Geno Auriemma and his No. 2 UConn Huskies are preparing for a heavyweight showdown with No. 1 USC in the Elite Eight of the 2025 NCAA women’s basketball tournament on Monday night.
The battle for a spot in the Final Four serves as a rematch of UConn’s 80-73 win over USC in last year’s Elite Eight and a thrilling 72-70 Trojans win back in December of this season.
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Unfortunately for USC and all women’s basketball fans, part three will not feature JuJu Watkins versus Paige Bueckers. Watkins suffered a season-ending ACL injury in USC’s second-round win over No. 9 Mississippi State.
UConn Huskies head coach Geno Auriemma (left) and USC Trojans guard JuJu Watkins (right).David Butler II, Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images
As a longtime steward of the game, Auriemma has seen far too many players suffer the same fate as Watkins. Look no further than Bueckers, who missed the entire 2022-2023 season with an ACL injury in the middle of her historic five-year career in Storrs.
Based on what he has seen before, the rival coach had conviction about how Watkins will respond when asked about the absent star before the UConn-USC game.
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“I don’t know of anyone that I’ve coached that suffered an injury like this — that was the quality of player we’re talking about — that didn’t come back better,” Auriemma said.
Any list of the best players in women’s basketball history is littered with players who overcame the devastating but all-too-common injury in women’s sports, including WNBA icons like Candace Parker, Tamika Catchings and Sheryl Swoopes.
There are plenty of past and present Huskies with the injury that Auriemma saw first hand, too. Beyond Bueckers, UConn legend Sue Bird and current guard Azzi Fudd are a couple notable names in the same category.
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“That’s what makes them who they are,” he explained. “For them, it’s another challenge, another game to win, another opponent they have to beat. If you’re a competitor like Paige or like JuJu, they come back better.”
It’s certainly true for Bueckers, who dropped a career-high 40 points in the Sweet 16 to set up the showdown with the Trojans. Watkins will not share the floor with Bueckers on Monday, but the sophomore has plenty of time to make more March Madness memories in the future if she can come back as strong as Auriemma expects.
Related: NCAA Facing Backlash for Paige Bueckers, JuJu Watkins Decision
Related: Stephen A. Smith Sends Clear Message To Paige Bueckers After JuJu Watkins Injury
