In the final stretches of the first round game between USC Trojans and Clemson, it was JuJu Watkins who became the main talking point. And that was without even touching the court!

While the crowd at Colonial Life Arena sang Dunn's praises as the Trojans beat Clemson 71-67 in OT, the internet collectively decided to focus more on JuJu's vivid reaction to the turning point of the matchup.

The camera caught the USC star's reaction as she jumped along the sidelines with her tongue out after Kara Dunn put up the bucket that gave the Trojans a 60–59 lead with about 53 seconds left in the final quarter.

And for Watkins, it was about wanting to see the team succeed, even without being on the court. She has missed the entire season after tearing her right ACL in the second round of last year’s tournament against Mississippi State. Fans naturally appreciated how involved she has remained in supporting the team from the bench. The face of USC was averaging 23.9 points and 6.8 rebounds per game before the unfortunate incident.

Luckily, Kara Dunn and freshman Jazzy Davidson took charge of the game after halftime and forced Clemson to OT. While Dunn made the crucial bucket that caused JuJu's reaction from the bench, Davidson hit two crucial three-pointers to secure the victory.

"Honestly, I think I’ve really been able to get close to so many girls on the team this year just because I have so much time and I can really put my attention into them, helping them get better in whatever they need from me, just being the person for them." Watkins, who is still only 20, already feels like a veteran in her squad.

Look no further than freshman Jazzy Davidson herself regarding Watkins' statements.

Jazzy Davidson Credits JuJu Watkins After MVP Performance

Many had knocked out the Trojans already after Watkins' injury this season, but freshman Jazzy Davidson came out of the script. The 19-year-old put the team's pressure on her shoulders, finishing with 31 points along with two clutch three-pointers at the end of the game for the Trojans to proceed to the next round.

But in an act of humility, Davidson credited her performance to the injured Watkins, for both her on and off-court advice.

“I think on the court, I would say just pace, not letting the defense speed me up, getting what I want offensively, and just seeing the court, seeing the second line of defense,” Davidson said. “I would say off the court, just enjoying the moment. The season goes by so fast, and she reminds me of that when I’m kind of in my head about things, so just staying present, staying in the moment.” Davidson said in a postgame interview with Autumn Johnson.

Safe to say, USC would have been one of the top contenders for winning the championship had Watkins stayed healthy. The Trojans are already looking forward to the next season, having made three five-star signings for next season's massive rebuild.

But for now, USC will have to at least try to go past No.1 seed South Carolina in a massive second-round matchup.

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Written by

Joy Bassy

Edited by

Siddharth Shirwadkar