The two teams are coming off of completely different seasons, with the women finishing 16-1 in conference play and winning a Big Ten regular season title. On the other hand, the men fell to the bottom half of the conference with a record of 7-13.
Looking to repeat the tremendous success of last season, USC women’s basketball head coach Lindsay Gottlieb and her team have many highlights in this year’s upcoming season.
When asked about her team’s colossal showdown with South Carolina before opening up Big Ten play, Gottlieb said, “We want these two premier women’s basketball teams in Crypto and that was something that I think both of us jumped at.”
Gottlieb realizes the magnitude that this game has to set the tone for the rest of their season.
“I think a lot of people were interested in the real SC kind of conversation, and obviously, so much respect for Dawn Staley and her program,” Gottlieb said.
The battle to claim the title of the real and more dominant USC will be one to watch this season.
After the huge showdown at Crypto.com arena on Nov. 15, the Trojans enter Big Ten play, trying to recreate the magic of last season with a newly refurbished roster.
They kick off the conference schedule with a home clash against Washington on Dec. 7, and a familiar face in sophomore guard Avery Howell. The point guard shot nearly 40% from three-point range last season for the Trojans before entering the transfer portal.
After a short stretch of non-conference games including an elite 8 rematch with UConn, Big Ten play fully kicks in with the Trojans flying to Nebraska for their first road game of the season before returning home and traveling across town to play at UCLA. After their rivals, they host the Oregon Ducks at Galen Center and soon after, travel 2,000 miles across the country for a matchup with Minnesota.
After Gottlieb’s inaugural season leading the Trojans in Big Ten play, she spoke from experience about the intensity of road games.
“We’re going to have tough road trips,” she said. “I think we proved last year that if you show up ready to play, it doesn’t matter where you are.”
Shortly after their clash with the Gophers, the Trojans return home to host Maryland and Purdue for the first time ever at Galen Center.
Other notable matchups include a daunting road stretch, traveling to Penn State and Ohio State, and immediately returning home for their regular season finale against the UCLA Bruins.
“The end stands out as being really difficult, where we go, Ohio State, Penn State, right back for UCLA,” Gottlieb said.
With the highest expectations since the days of Cheryl Miller, the women’s team has an exciting season ahead.
On the flip side, head coach Eric Musselman looks toward a potential bounce back season, after a complete revamp of the roster, because last season left many unanswered questions. Can they adjust to the intensity of the Big Ten? More importantly,
Losing key guards senior Desmond Claude and sophomore Wesley Yates III is going to be tough for the Trojans, but they aggressively used the portal during the offseason to reload their roster with a range of talent across conferences and the country.
Musselman added many notable names including standout shooting guard from Maryland, Rodney Rice, and star power forward from Auburn, Chad Baker-Mazara.
The men’s team begins conference play with a trip to Oregon, where they seek to avenge the Duck’s series sweep of them last season. Immediately after, they will head back home to host Washington and former Trojan Wesley Yates III for their first home game of conference play.
After a short stretch of non-conference contests, a long road trip awaits, with a three-game road stretch against Michigan, Michigan State, and Minnesota.
Upon his team’s return to Los Angeles, Musselman has many opportunities for marquee wins to show off to the NCAA Tournament selection committee, including a massive Big Ten tournament rematch against Purdue at home, and two colossal matches against crosstown rivals, UCLA.
Although both teams enter the season with different expectations, the goal for both coach Gottlieb and Musselman remains the same, taking home a Big Ten championship.