One day shy of the one year anniversary of losing to UConn in the Elite Eight in 2024, USC women’s basketball fell victim to the Huskies again in the Elite Eight and saw its fourth season under head coach Lindsay Gottlieb and first in the Big Ten come to a close. The Trojans went 31-4 and were ranked No. 5 in the final AP Poll of the season.
The Trojans lost 78-64 to UConn in Spokane on March 31, but were without star sophomore guard JuJu Watkins, who tore her ACL a week earlier against Mississippi State in the second round of March Madness at Galen Center.
Even given the increase in travel caused by the move to the Big Ten, the Trojans were expected by many not just to compete for a national championship, but to win March Madness altogether and secure the program’s third national title. On paper, the team had everything to succeed. USC was returning Watkins, senior centers Rayah Marshall and Clarice Akunwafo, and sophomore guard Malia Samuels. Gottlieb also secured two graduate transfers from the portal: forward Kiki Iriafen from Stanford and guard Talia von Oelhoffen from Oregon State. In addition, USC had the top ranked recruiting class in the country, headlined by guards Avery Howell, Kennedy Smith and Kayleigh Heckel, all of whom were named McDonald’s All-Americans.
USC was ranked No. 3 in the preseason AP Poll and kicked off the season with a tight 68-66 win over then-No. 20 Ole Miss in Paris in the Aflac Oui-Play Game on November 4. The Trojans followed their season opening victory with three home wins. USC then suffered its first loss of the season against then-No. 6 Notre Dame, a 74-61 beatdown at Galen Center on November 23. While the Trojans were without Smith, it was clear that the team had a lot of work to do to reach the lofty goals of a national championship.
“You schedule [Notre Dame] because you have an opportunity to have a great crowd and play well and give yourself an early-season, signature win. Or you get exposed,” Gottlieb told the media after the loss.
Despite Smith’s absence, USC continued to rattle off wins after the loss to the Irish. But USC’s next big test would be an away game against then-No. 4 UConn on December 21 to conclude non-conference play. Despite blowing an 18-point lead in the second half, USC beat the Huskies 72-70, with Smith returning and Watkins scoring 25 points.
After defeating UConn, USC continued to win, dominating most of their competition, including then-No. 23 Michigan 78-58 on December 29 at Galen Center. The only close game during this winning streak would be against then-No. 8 Maryland on the road on January 8, where the Terrapins almost beat the Trojans, but USC rallied furiously in the fourth to avoid defeat.
USC’s lone conference loss was to Iowa on February 2 in Iowa City, when the Hawkeyes retired alum and current Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark’s #22 jersey with both her and recently retired head coach Lisa Bluder in attendance. USC struggled to shoot, scoring only four points in the first quarter, and despite rallying later in the game, was unable to seal the victory over an emotional Iowa team, which won 76-69. The loss to the Hawkeyes brought a 15-game winning streak to an end.
After the loss to Iowa, USC did not lose again, even with the final weeks of the season seeing the Trojans face off against ranked opponents in five of their final seven games. The Trojans beat then-No. 8 Ohio State 84-63 on February 8, then-No. 1 UCLA 71-60 on February 13, then-No. 22 Michigan State 83-75 on February 19 and then-No. 25 Illinois 76-66 on February 23. All of these wins came at Galen Center.
USC’s final game of the regular season was a rematch against then-No. 2 UCLA at Pauley Pavilion on March 1, with the Big Ten regular season title on the line. The Trojans dominated the Bruins throughout the game, and won 80-67 with Watkins dropping 30 points on UCLA to win USC’s first Big Ten title. Following the win, USC moved up to No. 2 in the rankings, its highest ranking of the season.
Watkins was the dominating force for most of the year, as evidenced by the numerous Player of the Year Awards she won, including being named both the AP and Naismith Player of the Year. However, she had several games where she struggled with her shooting efficiency. Because of the talent on USC’s roster, another player could usually step up and take the lead. This was most evident against Ohio State where, due in part to the defensive pressure placed on her, Watkins struggled from the field. Iriafen, however, stepped up and scored 24 points to help lead the Trojans past the Buckeyes.
Marshall and Akunwafo also proved critical to Gottlieb’s system. Even when they weren’t scoring points, their presence in the paint and pulling down rebounds was crucial to USC’s success. Akunwafo averaged 2.5 rebounds per game, while Marshall pulled down 8.4 rebounds per game. The duo were also leaders in that they stayed committed to USC and Gottlieb even after Mark Trakh, the coach they committed to, retired. The fact that they stayed is a testament to their belief in Gottlieb and her vision to bring the program to where it is today.
In addition, Smith, Heckel and Howell became integral to the success of the team this year. Smith, who started every game she played in, was very aggressive on defense and also shot 41% from the field. Heckel, like Smith, was also a relentless defender and a fan favorite because of her aggressive style of defense and her ability to throw herself on the floor and go for loose balls as well as contribute in ways that do not always appear in the box score. And Howell proved that she was lethal from behind the three-point line, as she shot 40% from downtown last year, and was utilized when she was waiting on the wings for the ball to be kicked out to her.
As the No. 1 seed in the Big Ten tournament, USC received a double bye into the quarterfinals. USC opened by beating ninth-seeded Indiana 84-79 on March 7 before beating fifth-seeded Michigan 82-70 the following day in the semifinals, setting up another rematch with the second-seeded Bruins in the final. UCLA prevailed this time, winning 72-67 despite trailing by 10 points at halftime.
Even with the loss to UCLA, USC still received a No. 1 seed to the Spokane 4 Regional. As a No. 1 seed, USC hosted the first two rounds of March Madness on campus. USC defeated No. 16 UNC Greensboro 71-25 in the first round before beating ninth-seeded Mississippi State 96-59 two nights later in the second round. Roughly five minutes after tip-off, Watkins went down following a collision while trying to score and had to be carried off the court; reports later confirmed that Watkins had torn her ACL and would be finished for the season. Iriafen stepped up and led the team with 36 points behind an emotional Trojan fanbase that was upset to see the star of the team injured.
Now into the Sweet 16, USC defeated No. 5 Kansas State 67-61 in Spokane. Without Watkins, winning games was going to be much more difficult for the Trojans, as evidenced by the fight that the Wildcats put up against the Trojans. Despite the star guard’s absence, Smith stepped up and led the team with 19 points, as Kansas State heavily pressured Iriafen throughout the night and frequently double-teamed her.
The win over Kansas State set up a rematch against UConn in the Elite Eight. This time, the Huskies prevailed, winning 78-64 to bring USC’s season to an end. Despite having several runs, USC could not truly get any momentum, and the Huskies dominated the Trojans for most of the game.
With the season over, USC is set to lose Marshall, Akunwafo, Iriafen and von Oelhoffen, as the four have exhausted their college eligibility. The Trojans are also set to lose four players to the transfer portal: reports emerged that redshirt junior guard Dominique Darius entered the portal prior to the start of March Madness, while Howell, Heckel and redshirt sophomore guard Aaliyah Gayles all announced they would be leaving once the season concluded. Howell announced that she is committed to Washington, while Gayles announced that she will go to Utah State.
The losses of Howell and Heckel are a blow to the Trojans, especially given their contributions as freshmen to the team. In addition, it is unclear if Watkins will return at all next year or redshirt her junior year entirely. While USC has the No. 3 recruit coming to USC next year in guard Jazzy Davidson, the team will need to find players to play in the center and power forward positions, as those are crucial vacancies left by Marshall and Iriafen, respectively. In addition, USC must do everything that it can to retain Smith and keep her from leaving.
While there is uncertainty following a heartbreaking end to an incredible season, there is still so much to be excited about as Gottlieb puts together her roster for the 2025-26 season.