LOS ANGELES − JuJu Watkins has been injured minutes into USC’s women’s March Madness game against Mississippi State that tipped off at 10 p.m. ET.

Watkins was on a fast break when she collided with a Mississippi State player. She immediately went down, grabbed her knee and was visibly in pain.

Medical staff came to assist and they carried her off the court. She did not put any weight on her knee.

(This story will be updated with more information.)

• The National Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, D.C. celebrates the gift of Yoshino Cherry trees from the mayor of Tokyo in 1912.
• While cherry trees can grow in Mississippi, they thrive best in the northern part of the state.
• The Northeast Mississippi Cherry Blossom Festival takes place in Tupelo, Mississippi, and features Japanese culture, music, and martial arts demonstrations.
• Those unable to travel to see the cherry blossoms in person can view them remotely through a live bloom camera provided by EarthCam.

Peak cherry blossom season in the U.S. is almost here, and thousands of people will flock to Washington, D.C. for the National Cherry Blossom Festival.

If you can’t make the trip but still want to see these iconic pink and white spring blooms, there are places in Mississippi and across the South where you can spot them.

Did you know Mississippi has its own cherry blossom festival? Here’s what you need to know to go and where you, your family, can see the iconic flowers.

Why does Washington, D.C. have so many cherry trees?

The Yoshino Cherry trees were a gift from the mayor of Tokyo in 1912. The gift celebrates the friendship between the Japanese and American people.

They’re planted along the National Mall.

Can cherry trees grow in Mississippi?

Yes. According the Mississippi State University Extension Service, they’ll only grow in the northern part of the state. And its only the tarts varieties.

Want to skip the travel and have cherry blossoms at home? They recommend the Montmorency. It’s a red tart cherry that’s good for pies and canning.

Wild black cherry is native to Mississippi. Its blooms are white, and it often blooms from April to May.

Tupelo is has cherry blossoms. Keep an eye out for the pink and white flowers across the northern parts of the state.

Where is the cherry blossom festival in Mississippi?

The Northeast Mississippi Cherry Blossom Festival will be 2-5 p.m. Saturday, March 29 in Tupelo. The event at Ballard Park, 2629 W. Main St., will feature Japanese fashion, origami, rice pounding, brush writing.

There will also be live music and martial arts demonstrations.

Where else can I see cherry blossoms in the South?

Afar magazine lists 15 places to see cherry blossoms in the U.S., several of which are in the South:

• Carolyn Crayton Park in Macon, Georgia.
• Nashville Public Square Park in Nashville, Tennessee.
• Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden in Dallas, Texas.

When is the National Cherry Blossom Festival in 2025?

The National Cherry Blossom Festival will be March 20 through April 14. The annual event is held mainly around the Tidal Basin.

Multiple events are scheduled for the festival, including a parade, concerts and fireworks.

When is the peak bloom?

Peak bloom is defined as when 70% of the flowers will be open. It depends on weather but usually falls in the last week of March or the first week of April for the D.C. area. This year, the National Park Service expects it to be March 28-31.

How long does peak bloom last?

It can last a few days with good weather.

Wind and rain can cut it short, and a freeze could keep blooms from developing.

Live bloom camera in D.C.

If you can’t travel to see the cherry blossoms, you can view them live on the bloom camera. EarthCam gives a view of the National Mall Tidal Basin from the roof of the hotel Salamander Washington D.C.

See the short cherry blossom season

CONTRIBUTING Saman Shafiq

Bonnie Bolden is the Deep South Connect reporter for Mississippi with Gannett/USA Today. Email her at bbolden@gannett.com.

MILWAUKEE – Milan Momcilovic stared at the basket a brief moment before running back on defense, slightly shaking his head. The rim can be unforgiving in March. Mystifying. Even when it’s in your hometown gym.

The former Pewaukee High standout saw just how temperamental the rim can be in his homecoming this weekend for the NCAA tournament. Two days after his scorching shooting led Iowa State to the second round, Momcilovic couldn’t find the net in No. 6 Iowa State’s 91-78 loss Sunday night to No. 6 Mississippi at Fiserv Forum.

The Cyclones’ sophomore forward shot just 2 of 12 from the field, including 1 of 8 behind the three-point arc. He lingered a moment, but only for a moment, after his sixth three-pointer clanged off the rim despite an open look early in the second half. Momcilovic finally drained his first three-pointer from the left corner with less than 5 minutes left, avoiding going scoreless from beyond the arc for only the third time this season.

Mississippi plays a distinctive defense that consists of regularly switching guards onto bigger forwards, and larger players onto guards. The mismatched pattern can disrupt rhythm for an offense, but Momcilovic said he felt his shots were open enough to make more consistently.

“They were being physical,” Momcilovic said. “They put a smaller guy on me, but I just think at the end of the day, I had three or four open looks in the first half. I missed them all. I got one bucket to go in the first half, but just missed four or five open looks in the first half, honestly.

“Then to come out at half and miss two or three looks, it was just tough. I couldn’t get one to go all night, and my team needed me.”

BOX SCORE: Mississippi 91, Iowa State 78

Momcilovic had plenty of company. Iowa State shot 48% from the field, but only 8 of 22 (36%) from behind the arc. The final numbers don’t show how much the Cyclones struggled shooting. Iowa State was just 3 of 11 from behind the three-point line in the first half.

The Cyclones were also just 15 of 23 from the free-throw line, emphasizing their overall shooting woes.

Without second-leading scorer Keshon Gilbert, Iowa State needed a complementary cast – including Momcilovic – to pick up the scoring burden to advance far in this tournament. The sophomore responded in Friday’s first-round win against No. 14 Lipscomb with 20 points, his second most this season. he shot 8 of 14 from the field Friday, including 4 of 8 from three.

Momcilovic finished with just 5 points against the Rebels. It was his fewest in a game since Feb. 11.

“All my teammates tell me to keep shooting,” Mimcilovic said. “The coaches tell me to keep shooting. So I’m going to keep shooting. Because, I mean, that’s what I’m good at. It’s just try to stay confident if the shots aren’t going to go down. If I’m not shooting well, hopefully try to give some energy to my teammates. Hopefully be better, be a cutter, but it is tough when you miss a lot of shots. That mindset, you don’t get a lot of confidence, and it’s tough.”

Mississippi had no problem finding the basket

The rim wasn’t so unkind when Iowa State was on defense. Mississippi shot a blistering 58% from the field, including a matching 58% from three.

After trailing 15-8 with 14:27 left, the Rebels seized control with an extended 20-2 run over the next 6:23. The stretch ended with Mississippi taking a 28-17 lead with 8:24 left in the half.

The Cyclones cut their deficit to 43-34 on a free throw from Joshua Jefferson with 18:21 left, but Rebels forward Jaemyn Brakefield answered with a layup on the next possession. Iowa State wouldn’t pull within single digits again.

“I would say we struggled just to stay in front of our guy guarding the ball,” senior guard Nate Heise said. “Then that put us into rotations. I think that’s where a lot of their 3s came from, was two guys going to the ball and then someone being open on the back side, or something like that.

Mississippi won the turnover battle 15-8, which also led to easier shots in transition. The Rebels outscored the Cyclones 20-7 off turnovers, a 13-point margin that matched a 13-point win.

Chris Beard rebuilding project ahead of schedule

With the win, Mississippi advanced to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2001. The Rebels were the second SEC program to punch their ticket to the Sweet 16 on Sunday night in Milwaukee, joining Kentucky. The No. 3 Wildcats beat No. 6 Illinois in the first game of a doubleheader inside Fiserv Forum.

Rebels coach Chris Beard, who led Texas Tech to the national title game in 2019, was hired last season to rebuild Mississippi’s basketball program. Ending the Sweet 16 drought is a watershed moment for his program.

“It hasn’t been done recently,” Beard said, “but telling these guys what we thought we could do at Ole Miss, they trusted us enough to come. Excited about the players. All my thoughts are on those guys. We came here to win a four-team tournament. So two down. It takes six to win the whole thing. “Told the guys to enjoy this for a half a day, and we will get back to work tomorrow. We’re excited about our next opportunity in the Sweet 16.”

After trailing 15-8 with 14:27 left, the Rebels seized control with an extended 20-2 run over the next 6:23. The stretch ended with Mississippi taking a 28-17 lead with 8:24 left in the half.

The Cyclones cut their deficit to 43-34 on a free throw from Joshua Jefferson with 18:21 left, but Rebels forward Jaemyn Brakefield answered with a layup on the next possession. Iowa State wouldn’t pull within single digits again.

With the win, Mississippi advanced to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2001. The Rebels were the second SEC program to punch their ticket to the Sweet 16 on Sunday night in Milwaukee, joining Kentucky. The No. 3 Wildcats beat No. 6 Illinois in the first game of a doubleheader inside Fiserv Forum.