Chloe Kitts (Photos via Imagn Images & Instagram)
South Carolina fans got a surprising shock on Monday. Star forward Chloe Kitts tore her ACL during practice just weeks before the college basketball season starts, and it becomes a little tougher for the Gamecocks to get the championship title.

Kitts shared the devastating update on X, thanking fans for their support and writing, “While this isn’t how I hoped my season would go, I’m trusting God’s timing and purpose.” The senior standout now faces surgery later this week and will spend the rest of the year on the sidelines. South Carolina’s dream of making a third straight NCAA Championship final just got a whole lot tougher.

Coach Dawn Staley also mentioned the loss. “We hate this first for Chloe,” she said. “She’s worked incredibly hard to become the best version of herself on the court. Her fire and leadership will still be felt from the sidelines.”

Gamecocks Lose Chloe Kitts Before Tip-Off

Chloe Kitts (Photo By Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images)

Kitts is an essential player on the roster for South Carolina. Last season, she started all 38 games, averaged 10.2 points and 7.7 rebounds, and helped the team reach the national title game against UConn. In 2024, she had 11 points and 10 rebounds in just 17 minutes during South Carolina’s championship win over Caitlin Clark and Iowa.

Kitts, last season’s SEC Tournament MVP and NCAA Binghamton Regionals MVP, entered her senior year as a projected top WNBA draft pick. Now, her future is on hold. It’s unclear if she’ll apply for a medical redshirt and return next year.

To make things worse, South Carolina is also without forward Ashlyn Watkins, who gained attention last year due to an arrest and is still recovering from an ACL tear she suffered in January. That leaves the team missing two key players before the season starts on November 3.

Kitts, who has over 269,000 Instagram followers, also gained quite a lot of attention earlier this year when she turned heads at the NBA Draft supporting her boyfriend, Collin Murray-Boyles. The former Gamecock forward went ninth overall to the Toronto Raptors.

South Carolina entered the season as the early favorite, just ahead of defending champs UConn. But with Kitts out, the road back to March Madness glory looks steeper.