Tag: Lindsay Gottlieb

Juju Watkins documentary to premiere this Saturday

JuJu Watkins stars in a documentary for which she will also get a producer’s credit. The doc is the lead-in to the USC women’s basketball game vs Notre Dame.

Saturday will be a huge day for Trojan athletics on NBC. At 1 p.m. Pacific time, the network will air the USC women’s basketball team’s early-season top-five showdown with Notre Dame. Then at 7:30 p.m., NBC will also show the football team’s crosstown rivalry matchup with UCLA. Prior to the two games, NBC will also premiere a documentary on USC women’s basketball star Juju Watkins.

Entitled, “On the Rise: Juju Watkins,” JuJu herself both stars in and helps produce the series. It will follow Watkins’ journey from her time in high school through her freshman year at USC, when she immediately established herself as one of the top players in the country.

With the release of the documentary, Watkins effectively becomes the first college athlete to have a series about her while still in school. It will feature appearances by celebrities including WNBA legend Candace Parker, rapper 2Chainz, and former USC star Tina Thompson.

The first two episodes of “On the Rise: Juju Watkins” will air Saturday at noon Pacific on NBC. They will immediately lead into the showdown between the Trojans and the Fighting Irish. The remaining episodes will stream exclusively on Peacock.

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What should we expect in the USC-Notre Dame women’s basketball blockbuster?

USC fans naturally expect the Trojans will win at home versus Notre Dame on Saturday. What does a Notre Dame writer think will happen? We asked one.

On Saturday afternoon, USC women’s basketball will battle Notre Dame in an early season top-five showdown. The Trojans are No. 3. The Fighting Irish are No. 5. It doesn’t get much better or bigger than this for a November basketball game.

Earlier this week, Geoffrey Clark of Fighting Irish Wire shared his prediction for the matchup.

“The Irish will be in a better position if they can get back Liatu King, who missed the last game after leaving the previous game with a head injury,” Clark wrote.

“Regardless, they still will have fewer available bodies than the Trojans, and that won’t play well against a fellow national championship contender. Playing in what should be a tough atmosphere on the road in this situation also could prove challenging.

“USC 77, Notre Dame 65.”

Tipoff between No. 3 USC and No. 5 Notre Dame is set for 1 p.m. in Los Angeles on Saturday afternoon at the Galen Center. The game is on NBC and is part of a USC doubleheader on Saturday. The football team plays on NBC at 7:30 p.m. Pacific time against UCLA.

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Fighting Irish Wire shares X-factor for USC-Notre Dame showdown

USC women’s basketball has to know where Notre Dame’s Olivia Miles is on the floor at all times during Saturday’s huge game in the Galen Center.

On Saturday, USC women’s basketball meets Notre Dame in an early-season top-10 showdown.

Heading into the matchup, Geoffrey Clark of Fighting Irish Wire gave his thoughts on a player who could be a potential X-factor for Notre Dame.

“After missing all of last season, Olivia Miles has wasted no time reminding everyone she still is around,” Clark said. “She recorded a triple-double in her first game back, and she’s a threat to do that whenever she steps on the court.

”Once the Irish’s best player, the early returns on how well she meshes with (Hannah) Hidalgo are extremely promising.”

If the Trojans want to prevail, containing Miles will be essential.

Tipoff between USC and Notre Dame is set for just after 1 p.m. local time in Los Angeles in the Galen Center on Saturday. The game will be televised by NBC and will stream on Peacock. Notre Dame plays football on NBC at 4 p.m. Pacific time later on Saturday. USC and UCLA play football at 7:30 Pacific that night, also on NBC.

Check out our podcast on USC women’s basketball and the big clash versus Notre Dame:

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Lindsay Gottlieb describes the new world of women’s college basketball

Lindsay Gottlieb went on Richard Deitsch’s sports media podcast to explain how a coach handles different media pressures in modern women’s basketball.

USC women’s basketball coach Lindsay Gottlieb was a guest on Richard Deitsch’s newest sports media podcast. For a USC program which has attained national relevance, and is now a bigger point of focus for Trojan fans who are suffering through a brutal football season, Gottlieb’s media-specific insights are fascinating to contemplate.

This podcast deals a little with the current USC team, but as a media-oriented show, it focuses mostly on how Gottlieb and USC are handling the media spotlight and its mixture of challenges and opportunities.

Lindsay Gottlieb discusses her interaction with player agents, the role of a general manager within the USC women’s hoops program, the overall program infrastructure, helping players build their brand and maximize both exposure and revenue, and the larger attempt to put basketball first and maintain a team-centered culture amid the commercial pressures of the sport.

Gottlieb also went into detail in explaining the challenge and complexity of scheduling national television games such as the USC-UConn game on Dec. 21 on Fox. That game will have an NFL lead-in, offering considerable visibility to USC women’s basketball.

Gottlieb also talked about the need to balance local and national media obligations, being available for Los Angeles outlets but also being willing to set aside time in a busy day for national media organizations interested in the program due to its prominence and the brilliance of superstar JuJu Watkins.

There’s so much to consider in this discussion. It’s a peek behind the curtain and a look inside the juggling act Gottlieb and other high-profile coaches have to pull off in modern women’s basketball.

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USC women’s basketball officially signs five-star guard

USC is jazzed up about Jazzy Davidson. The Trojans have now signed the No. 2 overall player in the Class of 2025. This is a home run.

On Wednesday, USC women’s basketball officially announced the signing of five-star guard Jazzy Davidson.

Hailing from Clackamas, Oregon, Davidson is the No. 2 overall player and the No. 1 guard in the class of 2025, per On3’s rankings. She committed to USC in September.

As a junior at Clackamas High School last year, Davidson was a semifinalist for the 2023-24 Naismith Trophy High School Girls Basketball Player of the Year award.

“Jazzy, in my opinion, is the jewel of this class,” USC head coach Lindsay Gottlieb said in a statement. “She is an elite level player in every aspect. She can score, create, defend—a true modern, pro-style player. She has a work ethic and competitiveness that will impact our program immediately. But from that first conversation I also knew that Jazzy the person was someone I wanted in our program. She is truly as humble and likeable as she is talented. We got a special one, and I couldn’t be more excited.”

Gottlieb’s 2024-2025 Trojans currently sit at 3-0 and are ranked No. 3 in the country.

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It’s still very early, but USC women’s basketball looks like a force to be reckoned with

If you were worried about USC women’s basketball after the Ole Miss game, these last two games at home have shown how potent the Trojans can become.

In case you didn’t hear, USC women’s basketball won Tuesday night.

Actually, won is a a massive understatement. USC women’s basketball completely and utterly dominated the lifeless corpse of Cal State Northridge, which had the misfortune of being the Women of Troy’s opponent.

USC led 30-6 after one quarter. At halftime, it was 60-13. Through three quarters, it was 97-20. When the final buzzer sounded, the Trojans had a historic 124-39 victory, and the visitors from Northridge could mercifully go home.

USC’s 124 points scored were a new program record. It was also the Trojans’ second consecutive victory by a margin of 55+ points.

Sure, those games came against Cal Poly and Cal State Northridge, but any time a team wins by 55 and then 85 points, it raises eyebrows.

It is still only three games into the season. The No. 3 Trojans still have nonconference showdowns with No. 6 Notre Dame and No. 2 UConn, plus a gauntlet of a Big Ten schedule, which features seven games against top-25 opponents.

But if early results are any indication, the Women of Troy are going to be a force to be reckoned with this season.

The ugly opener against Ole Miss was the floor for this team. It will play good defense even when it plays bad offense and can stay in games in which it commits turnovers and endures a rough slog at the offensive end. USC will be competitive even when it plays poorly. These last two games against Cal Poly and especially Northridge offer a glimpse of where this team’s ceiling can be. The defense is the constant, but we have seen the offense improve. Notably, Talia von Oelhoffen was finally able to score in double figures. Getting her going really raises this team’s ceiling and raises the bar for what this team can become.

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USC women’s basketball makes history in blowout win

The USC Trojans trouncing Cal State Northridge on Tuesday was expected, but the way they did it was far from ordinary. This performance stood out.

The USC Trojans women’s basketball team is good. Really good. It picked up its third win in as many games this season in super fashion with a 124-39 romp over Cal State Northridge. JuJu Watkins and the rest of the Trojans thrived. The 124-point total broke the school’s single-game scoring record. The 85-point win set the largest margin of victory — men’s or women’s — for Trojans basketball.

The Trojans were led by standout sophomore guard JuJu Watkins, who led all scorers with 21 points and 9 assists. All 13 Trojans who played scored. Six players, including forward Kiki Iriafen (15), scored in double digits.

It was an all-around win for the Trojans. Offensively, they shot 60.8% from the floor and 47.2% beyond the arc while grabbing 15 offensive rebounds. Defensively, the team forced 43 turnovers, four more turnovers than Cal State Northridge had points.

As part of the historic night, USC head coach Lindsay Gottlieb picked up her 300th career win, which the team celebrated after the blowout.

The Trojans are a team to keep an eye on this season. Even against weak opponents, with the result known before the tip, this team can create a spectacle night in and night out.

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USC fans can pull a doubleheader in LA on November 23

It’s a blockbuster USC sports doubleheader on November 23. You can go to Galen Center for women’s hoops and then to Pasadena for football versus UCLA.

On Monday, the kickoff time was announced for the annual Crosstown Showdown rivalry game between USC and UCLA. On Saturday, November 23, the Trojans and Bruins will battle under the lights at the Rose Bowl. Kickoff of the Battle of Los Angeles is set for 7:30 p.m. Pacific Standard Time. The game will be televised on NBC. Earlier that afternoon, the USC women’s basketball team will play a marquee early season game when the Women of Troy host Notre Dame at the Galen Center. Tipoff is set for 1 p.m. Pacific, also on NBC.

For USC football and basketball fans in Los Angeles, this sets up a dream doubleheader scenario. Fans will be able to catch the basketball game in its entirety, then head over to the Rose Bowl for the football game. Even with LA traffic, there should still be plenty of time for tailgating prior to kickoff.

Even for those who will not be able to attend, it will still be incredibly convenient: NBC will televise both matchups nationally, so fans will not even need to change the channel.

For good measure, the peacock network will also televise Notre Dame football’s showdown with undefeated Army in between these two USC games. Hence, NBC’s schedule for Saturday, November 23 is (Pacific time):

1 p.m.: USC-Notre Dame women’s basketball

4 p.m.: Notre Dame football

7:30 p.m.: USC football versus UCLA

It sets up an exciting day in the spotlight for the Trojans and the Fighting Irish, leading up to their showdown on the football field the following week on Nov. 30.

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Lindsay Gottlieb offers realism about USC, even as Trojans try to address flaws

Lindsay Gottlieb wants to be patient while still setting the bar very high for her team. She has to fix problems but not panic when they emerge. It’s a balance.

The USC women’s basketball program carries huge expectations this season, as everyone knows. Managing those expectations is a real challenge. USC shouldn’t shy away from the expectations, just to be clear, but when one game doesn’t go perfectly, there’s no reason to panic and overreact. That’s really the key for the Trojans and coach Lindsay Gottlieb. There has to be an awareness of what the standard is, but also an awareness that the standard won’t be attained every night. Improvement is what matters.

Gottlieb said as much after USC’s 90-35 win over Cal Poly on Saturday, as reported by Luca Evans of the Orange County Register:

“Nobody’s winning a national championship on November – what is it, eighth? Whatever it is today,” Gottlieb said postgame. “Nobody’s getting — we can’t skip steps and fast-forward to another Elite Eight game … but what we can do is continue to push forward our identity.

Gottlieb is absolutely right to preach patience. Yet, she knows USC is not where it needs to be and is working hard to bring about needed improvements. USC has a growing concern behind the 3-point arc, going 7 of 39 from long range in two games so far this season. Talia von Oelhoffen failing to score and become the third main cog of the offense behind JuJu Watkins and Kiki Iriafen is also something USC needs to address. Gottlieb rightly notes that everything isn’t going to happen all at once, but the Trojans do need to make real and substantive advancements as they go along. Big games — Notre Dame on Nov. 23 and UConn one month later in December — are not that far away. USC has to be ready to meet the challenge.

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Lindsay Gottlieb on the mental adjustment for USC women’s basketball

Lindsay Gottlieb knows this coming season will be very different from 2023-2024.

USC women’s basketball coach Lindsay Gottlieb is creating the Trojans’ nonconference schedule for the coming season.

Two games have been added to the slate this week. USC will play Seton Hall on Wednesday, Nov. 27, and then Saint Louis on Friday, Nov. 29 in Palm Desert, California. At a media availability session attached to the announcement of these two games, Lindsay Gottlieb discussed the mental adjustment this season’s USC women’s basketball team will need to make:

“Last year our mantra was like ‘don’t pick us now, you didn’t pick us before’ and it was a year that no one expected much from us and we had something to prove,” Gottlieb said. “So a lot of my time this offseason has been studying the nuances of the right buttons to push for a group that is new and is going to have a lot of expectations placed on us. How do we embrace that and raise the bar and perform to that standard without losing our joy? We’ll dive into that mental side of things just as much as the physical.”

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