Honestly, if you haven't been paying attention to USC women's college basketball lately, you're missing out on a full-blown soap opera with some of the best hoops in the country. It’s been a wild ride. Just a couple of seasons ago, the Women of Troy were a program trying to find their footing in a crowded Los Angeles sports scene. Now? They're basically the hottest ticket in town. But here’s the thing—it’s not just about one player, even if that one player is a once-in-a-generation talent.
The vibe around Galen Center has shifted. It’s electric.
The JuJu Watkins Factor and the ACL Heartbreak
You can't talk about USC women's college basketball without talking about JuJu Watkins. Let's be real: she’s the sun that everything else orbits around. Last year, she was putting up numbers that made your head spin, averaging 23.9 points and winning the Naismith Trophy. She was the fastest player in USC history to hit 1,000 career points—doing it in just 38 games.
Then, disaster struck.
During the 2025 NCAA Tournament against Mississippi State, JuJu went down. Torn ACL. It felt like the air got sucked out of the entire city. For the 2025-26 season, she's been sidelined, rehabbing that knee and acting as a de facto coach. It’s been weird seeing her in street clothes, but her influence hasn't faded. She’s still the face of the program, executive producing her own docuseries On the Rise on Peacock and even taking ownership stakes in pro teams like Boston Legacy FC.
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Watching her mentor freshman Jazzy Davidson from the bench? That's the kind of leadership that keeps a program elite even when their superstar is out.
Life in the Big Ten: A Brutal Reality Check
Transitioning to the Big Ten hasn't been a walk in the park. USC is currently sitting at a 10-7 overall record (2-4 in conference play as of mid-January 2026). It’s a grind. The travel is brutal, and the physical style of play in the Midwest is a world away from the old Pac-12 flow.
We’ve seen some tough losses lately. A 63-62 heartbreaker at Minnesota and a 62-55 loss to a tough No. 12 Maryland squad at home. Coach Lindsay Gottlieb is feeling the heat, but she’s a strategist. She knows the margin for error has basically vanished. The Trojans are currently in the middle of a "defining" five-game stretch where they face four ranked opponents.
It’s sink or swim time.
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The Support Cast Stepping Up
With JuJu out, others have had to grow up fast.
- Londynn Jones: The senior guard has had to carry a massive scoring load. She’s quick, but the efficiency has been up and down.
- Kennedy Smith: A sophomore who is basically the Swiss Army knife of this team. She does a little of everything—rebounding, defending, and hitting timely shots.
- Jazzy Davidson: The prized freshman. She’s 6'1", smooth, and playing way beyond her years. She’s the future, and honestly, the future looks pretty bright.
Recruiting Juggernaut: Why 2026-27 Will Be Scary
If you think this season is a struggle, just look at what's coming. Lindsay Gottlieb has turned USC into a recruiting magnet. They just signed Saniyah Hall, the No. 1 ranked recruit in the country for the Class of 2026. Pair her with JuJu Watkins (who will be back and healthy) and Sitaya Fagan, a 6'4" beast from Australia, and you’re looking at a potential super-team.
Hall is a "positionless" player—the kind of athlete who can defend a center and then bring the ball up and hit a step-back three. Gottlieb calls her a "complete modern basketball player." When you add that to a healthy JuJu, the rest of the Big Ten is going to have a massive problem.
What People Get Wrong About USC
A lot of people think USC is just "JuJu and some other girls." That’s a mistake. Gottlieb has built a "pro-style" system that attracts players who want to play in the WNBA. Look at KiKi Iriafen—she flourished at USC and moved on to the Washington Mystics. The program isn't a one-hit wonder; it’s a factory.
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The defense is where they usually win. Even in these recent losses, they're keeping games close. They just need that one extra bucket, that one extra stop. Without JuJu’s 25 points a night, those margins are just harder to find.
Actionable Insights for the Rest of the Season
If you're following the Trojans through the rest of the 2026 calendar, keep an eye on these specific areas to see if they can make a run in March:
- Home Court Defense: They have to protect the Galen Center. Losses to teams like Maryland at home hurt their seeding significantly.
- The "Jazzy" Leap: Watch Jazzy Davidson’s shooting percentages. If she hits a freshman wall, USC is in trouble. If she breaks through it, they’re a dangerous sleeper.
- Rotation Stability: Gottlieb has been mixing and matching lineups. Finding a consistent "closing five" is priority number one before the Big Ten Tournament.
- JuJu's Rehab Progress: While she won't play this year, her presence at practices and on the bench keeps the energy high. Any news of her return to full-contact training for the summer will be a massive momentum builder.
USC women's college basketball is in a transitional phase, but don't let the mid-season record fool you. This is a program with a championship blueprint, a world-class coach, and the most anticipated comeback in sports history waiting in the wings.
To stay ahead of the curve, focus on the development of Kennedy Smith and Jazzy Davidson over the next six weeks. Their ability to handle Big Ten physicality now will determine whether USC enters the 2026-27 season as a Top 5 lock. You should also monitor the Big Ten standings closely, as the Trojans are currently fighting for a middle-of-the-pack seed to avoid a "play-in" scenario in the conference tournament.