On November 6, 2023, No. 21 USC shocked No. 7 Ohio State when freshman guard JuJu Watkins scored 32 points in her first collegiate game, leading the Trojans to victory. Now, two years later, the Trojans hope to upset No. 10 Ohio State on the Buckeyes’ home court, this time without Watkins due to injury and a completely different roster. That game is a memorable one for head coach Lindsay Gottlieb.
“I think the story was JuJu, and just how she burst onto the college basketball scene and had an incredible game [and] the resilience of a team that hadn’t played that much together,” Gottlieb said in an exclusive interview with Annenberg Media. “But to go to a neutral site and beat a team that was an Elite Eight team the year before.”
Now, the stakes are different for both teams. When USC won two years ago, it had nothing to lose. The Trojans were facing a higher-ranked team in their first game of the season. It was Gottlieb’s third season at the helm and that season turned out to be historic: USC reached the Elite Eight and reminded college basketball fans of the program’s long-standing legacy. The Trojans were back-to-back national champions from 1982-1984, becoming the second NCAA champions ever. Key players of those teams were Cheryl Miller, Cynthia Cooper and the McGee Twins, Pamela and Paula. The Trojans haven’t won a championship since, but have made multiple deep runs in March Madness.
“I mean, the circumstances are completely different. Now, Ohio State’s a conference opponent. And this is a February, really tough, Big Ten conference road game,” Gottlieb said.
In the two years since that 2023 meeting, Gottlieb has revamped the program alongside Watkins, redefining what it means to play for USC and raising expectations. While the Trojans haven’t had the same dominance this year as in the last two seasons, they’ve never counted themselves out. They’re on a hot streak right now, winning their last six games, fighting for a better seed in March Madness. A win against the ranked Buckeyes on the road could go a long way in cementing a better seed.
“We’re just looking to just continue to take this momentum we’ve kind of earned and hit another level,” Gottlieb said. “We think that this game provides an opportunity to challenge ourselves and even take the things that have made us more successful in this last stretch of wins, but also … figure out what it’s going to take to win in a really meaningful, really tough conference game.”
The win streak comes after a rough January, when USC went 2-6, losing to four ranked teams – most recently No. 7 Michigan and No. 13 Michigan State – before bouncing back and upsetting No. 8 Iowa to close out January.
For Ohio State, it’s the opposite. The Buckeyes are on a two-game losing streak after losing to No. 20 Maryland and No. 23 Minnesota. Still, they can’t be counted out as they have a contender for National Player of the Year, sophomore guard Jaloni Cambridge, who is capable of taking over any game.
Cambridge leads the team in points (22.8) and assists (4.6). Gottlieb called her a tremendous athlete and noted how much she’s grown from freshman to sophomore. However, the way to win this game for Gottlieb isn’t just to stop one player, but to play team defense.
“It has to start with our transition defense, because [Cambridge]’s getting easy baskets in transition. And then you’re really in trouble,” Gottlieb said. “So it’s got to be a team defense that tries to slow her down and make her take as tough shots as possible.”
In addition to Cambridge, senior guard Chance Gray averages 14.2 points per game as the Buckeyes’ second leading scorer. Cambridge and Gray will undoubtedly make the game a challenge for the Trojans. But that’s fine with Gottlieb, who wants to see mental and physical toughness out of her team more than anything else. The way they attack and handle pressure will be the deciding factor in this game.
“They’re going to press. 100% of the game, you know it’s coming,” Gottlieb said. “Every team knows it’s coming, but it’s whether or not you have the ability to handle it.”
Part of the reason why USC has been able to put together wins – besides star freshman guard Jazzy Davidson leading USC in every category – is the emergence of redshirt freshman forward Laura Williams. She’s become the defensive presence that the Trojans needed in the front court, always grabbing rebounds and blocking shots. She’s coming off a career-high 14 rebounds and tied her career-high in blocks with four against Wisconsin Over the last five games she’s averaging 9.8 rebounds and 1.8 blocks.
“Laura’s a tremendous athlete who plays with high effort all the time, and so I think that’s what you’ll see,” Gottlieb said. “We expect her to do what she does really well, which is go to the glass.”
Since becoming head coach, Gottlieb has won against Ohio State in all three meetings they’ve played under her leadership. To see if she extends to four, watch USC take on Ohio State at Schottenstein Center at 2 p.m. ET on Sunday.