The USC women’s basketball program is preparing for a season marked by sky-high expectations in the new world of the Big Ten Conference. The Trojans are expected to do big things. The preseason edition of the USA TODAY Sports Women’s Basketball Coaches Poll reflects that reality. The poll has USC opening at No. 3 behind national champion South Carolina and 2024 Final Four semifinalist Connecticut, the team which denied USC a trip to the Women’s Final Four.
USC is No. 3 in both the USA TODAY Sports Women’s Basketball Coaches Poll and the Associated Press Poll, which was released earlier in October. The Trojans are therefore the consensus No. 3 team in the sport. If they can live up to that ranking this season, they will head to Tampa for the 2025 Women’s Final Four on April 4. That’s the goal for this season: Play in April on the final weekend of the women’s college basketball season.
With JuJu Watkins getting Kiki Iriafen and Talia Von Oelhoffen as new teammates, along with veteran Rayah Marshall and a very talented incoming class of freshmen (a recruiting class ranked No. 1 in the country), USC should have the depth, balance, versatility, skill, and defensive quality needed to rise to the top of the sport.
Keep in mind that top seeds in the Women’s NCAA Tournament host opening-round games. USC should be a lock to make the Sweet 16 and a heavy favorite to reach the Elite Eight. Everything is in place for USC to become a true heavyweight in women’s college basketball this season. We will cover the journey, which starts in just over a week.
| Rank | School (Last Year’s Record) | Points | First Place Votes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Carolina (38-0) | 770 | 27 |
| 2 | Connecticut (33-6) | 734 | 3 |
| 3 | Southern California (29-6) | 716 | 1 |
| 4 | Texas (33-5) | 670 | – |
| 5 | Notre Dame (28-7) | 629 | – |
| 6 | UCLA (27-7) | 612 | – |
| 7 | LSU (31-6) | 567 | – |
| 8 | North Carolina State (31-7) | 533 | – |
| 9 | Iowa State (21-12) | 487 | – |
| 10 | Oklahoma (23-10) | 457 | – |
| 11 | Duke (22-12) | 449 | – |
| 12 | Baylor (26-8) | 434 | – |
| 13 | Kansas State (26-8) | 407 | – |
| 14 | Ohio State (26-6) | 405 | – |
| 15 | West Virginia (25-8) | 285 | – |
| 16 | North Carolina (20-13) | 263 | – |
| 17 | Louisville (24-10) | 261 | – |
| 18 | Maryland (19-14) | 254 | – |
| 19 | Florida State (23-11) | 177 | – |
| 20 | Creighton (26-6) | 150 | – |
| 21 | Mississippi (24-9) | 135 | – |
| 22 | Kentucky (12-20) | 106 | – |
| 23 | Nebraska (23-12) | 92 | – |
| 24 | Indiana (26-6) | 75 | – |
| 25 | Alabama (24-10) | 57 | – |