JuJu Watkins was helped off the court after being injured during USC’s win over Mississippi State. (Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

JuJu Watkins went down with what looked like a serious knee injury in the first quarter of No. 1 USC’s second-round NCAA tournament matchup with No. 9 Mississippi State on Monday night.

Watkins, just after the midway point in the first quarter at the Galen Center, seemed to collide with a pair of Bulldogs players while trying to drive to the rim on a fast break. She went crashing down to the court near the baseline, and immediately grabbed at her right knee, clearly in a lot of pain. She remained down for quite some time, and was eventually helped up and carried off the court.

Watkins didn’t put any weight on her leg, and her facial expression made it seem like she was in a lot of pain as she stood up.

Officials reviewed the play, but it remained a common foul. Watkins had three points when she went down. Further specifics of her injury are not yet known, though the team ruled her out for the rest of the game at halftime. ESPN’s Holly Rowe said at the start of the second half that she saw Watkins being wheeled out of the building on her way to get an MRI at the university’s medical center.

Despite Watkins’ injury, the Trojans still flew ahead to a dominant 28-8 lead after the first quarter while shooting 9-of-14 from the field as a group. USC, which earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament, is searching for its first Sweet 16 trip since 2021. The winner of Monday night’s game, which officially wraps up the second round of the tournament, will get No. 5 Kansas State in the next round.

This post will be updated with more information shortly.