Swanson: Without Juju Watkins, USC falls to Uconn in Elite Eight

Spokane, Washington – I agree with Jim Bickel. The 75-year-old spokanite carried a message spelled on printer paper and stuck to his turtleneck on Monday evening, when he attended the second women’s basketball game live from his life: “Juju. I want you to be here.”

Yes sir. Even.

Because without the injured star of the USC, it was impossible not to ask: What if?

And if Juju Watkins had not had to watch the Elite Eight match from Monday at home in Los Angeles, a torn ACL limiting it to applause and to FaceTime-Ile and just … Looking at its most series teammates were fighting but failed, 78-64, against Uconn. Knowing that her team needed her against the superstar of the Huskies, Paige Bueckers, who plays with the urgency of a star who leaves the university.

What if the Trojan horses (31-4) could have replaced the Funko Pop Juju Watkins on their bench this weekend by the real Juju Watkins? And if they had the gravitational force of Watkins working for them on the ground on Monday in front of a crowd of 10,141 in Spokane Arena? His 23.9 points per game? If they had juju Swatkins There serve as a pest and deterrence?

Could the result have been related to the team’s December meeting, a 72-70 USC victory in Storrs?

And what about the battle of the to Tampa which will never be? The USC came only one victory for an EPIC USC rivalry game against UCLA; This would not have been proud of the line in this national semi-final, but a place in the championship match.

Instead, UCLA (34-2) will get UCONN (35-3) when the Final Four will start on Friday in Amalie Arena.

And we will never have any answers to any of these IFs, so it is better to ask the other question: What is the next step?

Something good. Because even without the best player in the country, the fact remains: USC finished as one of the eight best teams in the country before falling back on Monday.

Fans, new and old, may be eager to learn what the USC looks like when it can collect Watkins with this early distribution of seven students in the second year increasing. They can anticipate seeing her play on Kennedy Smith, Avery Howell and Kayleigh Heckel, first -year students who particularly fulfilled themselves after losing Watkins last week at the start of their victory in the second round against the state of Mississippi.

Then do the calculation on what he looks like when they add Jazzy Davidson, a 6 -foot 1 inch of Oregon and the third recruit of ESPN in the country.

And enjoy the Southern Sun of California to come tomorrow.

“The first -year students, their performance in Sweet 16 were incredible, an overview of what will happen in the coming years,” said the transfer of the graduate Talia Van Oelhoffen, who joined the Trojans with 10 points in the third quarter of his last university match, helping the USC to reduce the 19 points of Huskies to five points.

“I give a lot of credit to the USC for what they could do, given what they had to endure with Juju,” said Uconn coach Geno Auriemma. “Unfortunately, some things catch up with you because at this stage of the year, someone like Juju would have been necessary to carry them on the bump. Like, we have paige.”

They certainly do it. And she achieved a summit of 31 points while her first -year teammate Sarah Strong added 22 points and 17 rebounds to conduct the Huskies to their second consecutive victory on the USC in the Elite Eight.

At home, Watkins shared his reflections in an article on Instagram: “Thank you all for the incredible love and support,” she wrote, “… you all gave me so much hope.

“Right now, my heart is with my teammates – I would have liked to be able to fight, but I could not be more proud of the fight that we fought together.”

Like Rayah Marshall, originally from South La, who closed his career as Trojans with a 23 -point match and 15 reimburses, and later said: “We all made fights as a Troy and it is culture, continues to” fight “.

This year and move forward too, because the coach of the Trojans Lindsay Gottlieb intends to answer What is the next step? Passing in front of the elite eight.

“This is where we wanted to be,” she said. “And we have now disappointed not having done this stage this year. But obviously, there are circumstances that make it really difficult at this point to win it.”

The circumstances that left Mr. Bickel, the new female basketball fan, so broken by the heart: “I am damn in tears.”

Gottlieb is there with him.

“At one point, the emotions of the last seven days will be more triggered,” said Gottlieb, who left an assistant coach position from the NBA with Cleveland riders to take over the USC female program four years ago. “It was only this evening a week ago that one of the best players in university basketball and so significant for everything we fell.

“… Just, like, crushed for Juju, and the game, because it was simply not supposed to happen like that. But I have no doubt that his return will be legendary. And I have no doubt that the strength of the program is not in doubt, and I think we have proven it.”

California Daily Newspapers