USC trojans women’s basketball

Cori Close speaks of wanting Southern California to ‘set the curve’ for women’s hoops

Cori Close has big visions.

With two Southern California women’s college basketball teams in the top-five of the AP rankings, with UCLA owning the top spot and USC not too far behind at No. 5, women’s basketball is in a good spot in the Golden State.

During her media availability on Friday, Bruins’ head coach Cori Close voiced the same opinion.

“I see Southern California basketball is wanting to set the curve in the nation for women’s basketball. We all have a contributing role in that,” Close said. “When you want to grow a sport and you want to go to new levels, you have to take off your institutional hat and you’ve got to work together.”

Women’s basketball’s growth in the recent years have been apparent and with two of the country’s best college teams, along with some of the top players, residing in Los Angeles, UCLA and other Californian schools have made an effort to help facilitate that growth.

The Bruins will face several other Californian schools for non-conference games, with Long Beach State on Saturday, Cal Poly on Monday and Pepperdine University last month.

“We’ve got to work together to garner more and more interest surrounding our sport,” Close said. “We have respect for them. We fear no one, we respect everyone and that’s Long Beach State included.”

UCLA will tip-off on the road Saturday afternoon at 2:00p.m. with the Bruins getting a three-week break from Big Ten play after opening conference play on Sunday with a win over Washington.

Cori Close calls weekend of women’s college hoops ‘Final Four level’

A lot of talent coming to SoCal this weekend.

The defending champion and #1 team in the country, South Carolina Gamecocks visiting Pauley Pavilion and the #5 ranked Bruins this Sunday won’t be the only heavyweight battle this weekend in women’s college basketball, with #3 USC hosting #6 Notre Dame in what could be a preview of what’s to come in the NCAA Tournament in March.

Or at least that’s what UCLA head coach Cori Close suggested in her post-game press conference after the Bruins’ 101-52 win over Arkansas last Sunday.

“It’s going to be an unbelievable atmosphere,” Close said of the top-five matchup against the Gamecocks. “I love it that the day before Notre Dame to play USC. It’s like Final Four-level basketball in November, in LA. How awesome is that?”

Close and the Bruins will certainly have their hands full on Sunday, with the Gamecocks having won 43 games in a row entering Sunday’s game. The last loss for South Carolina came in the Final Four back in 2023 against Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes, where Clark needed 41 points to hold off South Carolina 77-73.

It will be quite the collection of talent in Los Angeles this weekend, with both schools welcoming top-ten opponents with the Crosstown Showdown between the Bruins’ and the Trojans’ football teams right in between the two basketball games.

JuJu Watkins, USC win but Colorado loses in Sweet 16

USC and Oregon State are the last two pac-12 teams standing.

The Pac-12 Conference has two teams remaining in the women’s bracket after three teams fell in the Sweet 16. Stanford and UCLA ended up losing their respective games, and Colorado also lost to Iowa on Saturday.

The two winners were USC and Oregon State, and the Beavers face 1-seed South Carolina in a daunting matchup.

Here’s how everything unfolded for the other teams on Saturday:

JuJu Watkins leads USC over Baylor

The Trojans barely defeated 5-seed Baylor on Saturday. Once again, it was the JuJu Watkins show as she scored 30 points with six rebounds and four assists. Rayah Marshall added an 11-point, 16-rebound double-double as USC got the 74-70 win. They face UConn on Monday night. USC is playing in its first Elite Eight since 1994, and Watkins is a huge reason why.

Colorado loses to Caitlin Clark

The Buffs didn’t advance and Caitlin Clark again proved to be one of the best players we have seen in this generation. Clark dropped 29 points with 15 assists as Iowa got an east 89-68 win.

USC outlasts UCLA in double overtime

USC got the best of UCLA in the Pac-12 semis.

The UCLA-USC Part 3 was everything we expected. In the semifinals of the Pac-12 Conference women’s basketball tournament, it was the USC Trojans who came out on top. 80-70, in double overtime on Friday night.

UCLA was down 24-8 at the end of the first quarter but scored 23 second-quarter points to make things a bit more interesting.

On Friday night, it was JuJu Watkins (of course) who led the way with 33 points and 10 rebounds for the Trojans.

UCLA had a balanced attack with Lauren Betts (17 points and 18! rebounds) and Charisma Osborne (21 points) doing the damage.

Angela Dugalic had 10 points and Kiki Rice had 11.

The biggest difference was overtime No. 2 as USC outscored UCLA 13-3 and took the game from that point on.

UCLA doesn’t need to worry too much as they are locked in for a top seed in the NCAA Tournament, although any hopes of a 1-seed are out the window now.

USC faces Stanford on Saturday night for the Pac-12 title, just as Matt Zemek of Trojans Wire predicted.

JuJu Watkins vs. Charisma Osborne is ‘admission worthy’ in UCLA-USC Part 3

JuJu vs. Charisma will be fun.

The UCLA Bruins and USC Trojans women’s basketball teams face off once again, this time in the Pac-12 Conference tournament.

After UCLA defeated Utah by 10 and USC squeaked by Arizona on Thursday, the two Los Angeles schools face off in the semifinal – which we predicted.

This one should be fascinating, and Jeff Metcalfe of The Mercury News (subscription required) offered thoughts on the game:

Both games in Los Angeles were celebrity-laden sellouts, drawing a combined 24,316 fans for close competition with the home team prevailing. Bringing that show to Las Vegas for a rubber match could create a Sphere-like atmosphere ahead of both teams being NCAA Tournament hosts in the same season for the first time since 1992. The teams last played Jan. 14 — an eight-point USC victory — and much has happened since then. Watkins’ matchup with UCLA star Charisma Osborne is admission-worthy alone.

JuJuhad 17 points and eight rebounds on Thursday as Osborne had 16 points, so these two stars should be a matchup worth watching on Friday night in Las Vegas.

Will UCLA have a tougher matchup than USC in Pac-12 women’s tournament?

Utah against UCLA or Arizona/Washington against USC? Either way it will be difficult.

The Pac-12 Conference women’s basketball tournament is set to begin on Wednesday. The UCLA Bruins enter as a 3-seed and are likely on a crash course for a UCLA-USC Part 3.

The first games are on Wednesday and all of Stanford, USC, UCLA, and Oregon State have the day off as they watch to see who they play.

We did a Q&A with Trojans Wire site editor Matt Zemek, and he answered the following question: USC and UCLA both have to win a quarterfinal before meeting in the semifinals. Which team has a tougher game on Thursday, and does it matter if it’s Arizona or Washington facing USC?

Utah is a better team than Arizona or Washington, but Utah is struggling and doesn’t play great away from home. USC will have a very tough time against the U of A or Washington, and it doesn’t matter which team faces the Trojans. Arizona and Washington play tough defense and are very tricky opponents to face. They are also both on the NCAA Tournament bubble and will be desperate for a win. Utah doesn’t have a whole lot at stake in this tournament. The Utes might want to rest and regroup for March Madness.

There are seven teams projected in the latest ESPN bracketology with a few right on the outside, so things could get very interesting for USC and UCLA. If they both win, they face off on Friday night in the semifinal round.

Moreover, both Arizona and Washington are fighting for a spot while Utah has it locked up. Here’s what Zemek said when asked about the matchup for USC:

Both Arizona and Washington will be desperate to beat USC. If the U of A or UW play the Trojans, they will be playing for an NCAA Tournament at-large berth, at least for the possibility of making the tournament. That is powerful motivation. In terms of the matchup, I think Washington might be harder for USC. The Trojans just did play Arizona in double overtime and faced Arizona a second time earlier in February. USC will know what’s coming from Arizona. Washington might be harder to game-plan against. It won’t be easy, regardless of whether the Cats or Huskies win, but I think Washington might be the harder matchup.

USC-UCLA Part 3 could take place Friday in Pac-12 tournament

UCLA-USC Part 3 could be coming soon to Las Vegas.

The Pac-12 Conference women’s basketball tournament kicks off on Wednesday. Both the USC Trojans and UCLA Bruins are possibly going to face each other for the third time, this time everything is on the line.

The question is, do fans want a USC-UCLA Part 3? Trojans Wire side editor Matt Zemek gave his answer:

I think that USC fans want the Bruins and would love an all-Los Angeles semifinal on Friday. It would be a huge game. The winner might get a No. 1 seed in the Women’s NCAA Tournament. That would be great theater, and USC would like its chances versus the Bruins.

And, here are my thoughts on a Part 3:

I think UCLA fans want part 3. Sure, an easier matchup is always the hope. Then again, adding another signature win would help their chances of landing a 1-seed in the field of 68. LA showdown part 3 will be fantastic.

UCLA won the first matchup on December 30 as Londynn Jones had 21 points and seven rebounds. USC won two weeks later with JuJu Watkins dropping a 32-point, 10-rebound double-double.

USC versus UCLA for a chance at the Pac-12 title game in Las Vegas on Friday night? What more could you ask for?

USC women’s basketball has to figure out the offensive end of the floor

USC’s offense has to get better if the Trojans are going to make a run in March.

The USC Trojans women’s basketball team was soaring after defeating UCLA and moving up the rankings. Then came a loss to Utah, and now the Trojans have lost their first home game of the season, falling to the Washington Huskies on Sunday.

USC’s defense was not amazing or extraordinary against the Huskies. Washington shot 46 percent from the field. USC definitely fell short of where it wants to be in that regard, and that was part of the story in the three-point loss to U-Dub.

However, defense is clearly not the main reason USC lost. The Trojans allowed just 62 points. It wasn’t their best, but they weren’t exactly torched, either. The main reason defense did not lose this game for USC: The Trojans forced 22 Washington turnovers. USC attempted nine more field goals (59-50), and free throw attempts were nearly even (11 for UW, 9 for USC). Offensive rebounds were even, at 9-9. When a team attempts nine more shots than the opponent and offensive rebounds and free throws are roughly even, that team should normally win. USC did not.

Let’s take a brief look at this game and why USC’s offense needs to engineer a turnaround, far more than the defense:

USC women’s basketball drops to No. 10 in USA TODAY Sports Women’s College Basketball Poll

USC is still one of the top teams in the country, but two losses did put a dent in the Trojans’ ranking.

The USC Trojans women’s basketball team lost to Colorado on Sunday with JuJu Watkins fouling out of the game.

On Tuesday, the USA TODAY Sports Women’s College Basketball Poll has dropped the Trojans to No. 10, moving down from No. 4. Here are the top 10 teams in the poll:

1. South Carolina

2. Kansas State

3. Colorado

4. UCLA

5. Stanford

6. Iowa

7. North Carolina State

8. UConn

9. LSU

10. USC

Utah is No. 14 and Oregon State is at No. 25, so there are six Pac-12 Conference teams in the top 25.

The Trojans are now riding a two-game losing streak after losing to Utah by 20 and then losing to Colorado after their stunning win over UCLA.

USC faces Washington State at home and then Washington next, so it’s a perfect opportunity to string together a couple of victories before a tough road game against No. 6 Stanford on February 2.

The toughest stretch comes in February when USC faces Oregon State, Colorado, and Utah in the span of a week.

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USC faces Colorado after Buffs get blitzed by UCLA in Pac-12 showdown

The Trojans and Buffaloes will meet on Sunday after enduring tough losses on Friday. It’s rough in the Pac-12.

The USC Trojans women’s basketball team rose to No. 4 in the polls after a stunning win over UCLA. The Trojans had a target on their back when they faced No. 20 Utah on the road on Friday night.

Utah entered the game 12-5 on the season, with four of its five losses against top-25 teams, including one against unbeaten South Carolina. Utah is a very good team which had lost some tough games. The Utes were hungry and desperate to win. The game did not turn out well for USC. The Trojans lost 78-58, as former USC star Alissa Pili torched her old team for 37 points.

Now USC must turn the page and face Colorado on Sunday afternoon in Boulder. CU just lost to UCLA on Friday night.

UCLA Wire has more:

“The UCLA Bruins women’s basketball team overcame a loss to USC with a huge statement win on Friday night in Boulder. The Bruins got the 76-68 victory against No. 3 Colorado in front of a jam-packed crowd.

“UCLA used a total team effort with four players scoring in double figures and two players (Lauren Betts and Angela Dugalic) recording double-doubles.”

Colorado will be angry and motivated after losing to UCLA. USC will have its work cut out as it finishes the toughest two-game road trip in the Pac-12 this season.

JuJu Watkins is fresh off a massive performance against UCLA. She had 32 points in the win. USC had won three games in a row after the loss to UCLA on December 30, but Utah put a stop to that winning streak.

Also on Friday night, Oregon State rallied from 14 down on the road to win at Cal. Stanford hammered Oregon. Washington beat Arizona by two points on a basket with under three seconds left. Washington State easily handled Arizona State.

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