USC’s March Madness run took a shocking turn on Monday night when star guard Juju Watkins left the court with an apparent injury during the first quarter of the Trojans‘ NCAA Tournament second-round game against No. 9 seed Mississippi State.
With USC leading 13-2, Watkins appeared to go down awkwardly, and the reaction from the crowd and social media was immediate and filled with concern.
Watkins, a sophomore phenom and the backbone of USC’s top-seeded squad, has been one of the most dominant players in college basketball this season.
Averaging 24.6 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game, she’s not only USC’s go-to scorer but also a defensive anchor, contributing 2.3 steals and 1.8 blocks per contest.
Her absence from the game cast a sudden cloud over USC’s tournament hopes, and while official details of the injury have yet to emerge, fans wasted no time turning to social media for answers, comfort, and, in some cases, comedic deflection.
A viral encounter turns into a conspiracy theory
Just two days prior, Watkins was at the center of a completely different kind of spotlight. A short video of her interacting with NFL quarterback Jayden Daniels at a recent event had gone viral.
The light-hearted exchange between the USC star and the Washington Commanders‘ rookie QB sparked rumors of a possible romantic connection, but it was Daniels‘ mother, Regina Jackson, who ended up stealing the show.
In the now widely circulated clip, Jackson inserted herself between the two athletes in a moment that many fans interpreted as protective, dismissive, or both.
While the moment was initially met with laughs and memes, it bizarrely resurfaced in the wake of Watkins’ injury. Fans on social media began drawing outrageous and entirely unserious connections between the injury and Daniels‘ mother’s viral cameo.
Conspiracy-like posts began flooding X, with users jokingly accusing Regina Jackson of bringing bad luck to Watkins.
“I blame Jayden Daniels momma for why JuJu Watkins just got injured,” one user wrote.
Another joked: “Jayden Daniels mom had to had put voodoo on JuJu because ain’t no way.”
A third wrote: “Jayden Daniels‘ mom cursed her oh my god.”
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