Tag: USC women’s basketball

Texas A&M-Corpus Christi coach Royce Chadwick might have helped USC going into second round of NCAA Tournament

Texas A&M-Corpus Christi coach Royce Chadwick might have helped USC and Lindsay Gottlieb. We’ll explain.

The USC Trojans easily defeated the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders and coach Royce Chadwick in the first round of the Women’s NCAA Tournament on Saturday. An 87-55 win in which USC led 21-2 late in the first quarter would qualify as an easy win. Yet, while the overall game was relatively manageable and the Trojans were never in real danger of losing, it’s not as though the full 40-minute performance was smooth and clean.

USC was very ragged and sloppy in the second quarter and portions of the third. The Trojans, who grabbed a 19-point lead before the end of the first quarter, watched their lead get chopped down to nine points at one point before extending their advantage. A&M-CC was still competitive in this game midway through the third quarter before JuJu Watkins and the Trojans created significant separation. It really was a good effort from the No. 16 seed, which put up a far better fight than the score indicated.

We’re here to praise A&M-CC and Royce Chadwick for their effort, but there is a second purpose to this article: USC has plenty to work on coming out of the A&M-CC game. The Trojans were sloppy in ways which could bite them if they aren’t sharper in future rounds, beginning with Monday against Kansas.

Royce Chadwick’s main tactical achievement against USC was to fluster the Trojans with a zone defense which became a hard, aggressive halfcourt zone trap at times. McKenzie Forbes and other USC players froze on a few occasions against those hard traps, committing turnovers and not rotating the ball quickly when doubled or pressured.

One thing USC coaches have stressed all season was making sure players are prepared for different defensive looks. JuJu Watkins has been exposed to all sorts of defensive configurations. Stanford’s defense against JuJu in the Pac-12 Tournament final was something USC’s coaches said they had never seen before. Exposure to different tactics is something USC’s coaches really value in teaching and adjusting. Yet, there were times on Saturday against A&M-CC that USC seemed like it had never faced a halfcourt zone trap. That could be just the thing to make USC smarter and sharper against Kansas and for the remainder of the NCAA Tournament. The Trojans can’t afford to give away a game with careless turnovers and any other kinds of mistakes.

Thank you, Royce Chadwick, for that reminder.

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JuJu Watkins breaks Cheryl Miller’s all-time single-season USC scoring record

JuJu Watkins and Cheryl Miller are linked forever in USC women’s basketball history.

JuJu Watkins has racked up a lot of awards this season. She is a First-Team All-American. She is the 2024 NCAA Women’s Basketball Freshman of the Year. She has made history on a lot of levels at USC. Now comes one of the crown-jewel achievements of her resplendent 2024 season: She is now the all-time single-season scoring leader for USC women’s basketball. Cheryl Miller had the record at 814 points. JuJu broke it early on Saturday in the Trojans’ NCAA Tournament opener against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.

Watkins will now try to win honors connected to team success. USC, powered by Watkins, led A&M-CC by a 36-20 score at halftime. The Trojans are trying to earn their way into the second round on Monday evening in the Galen Center against the Kansas Jayhawks, who defeated the Michigan Wolverines in overtime in the day’s first of two games in Galen.

JuJu Watkins broke a Cheryl Miller record set in 1986, the last time the Trojans were a No. 1 seed in the Women’s NCAA Tournament before this year. The year 1986 is also the last time the Trojans made the Women’s Final Four and reached the national championship game. Those are the goals JuJu Watkins wants to reach more than anything else.

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USC Women’s NCAA Tournament preview: Trojans are focused on Game 1, but what about Game 2?

USC, if it wins its first game this weekend, has a short turnaround for a Monday second-rounder. Here’s a quick look:

The USC Trojans need to win four games in the next two weeks to punch their ticket to the 2024 Women’s Final Four in Cleveland. This Women’s NCAA Tournament will be an unqualified success for USC if it can get that far. First things first, though: USC needs to win its two games this weekend in the Galen Center at the NCAA Women’s Tournament’s subregional, the four-team pod through which one team will advance to the Sweet 16 next week in Portland. USC has its first-round game versus Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, but before that game on Saturday in Galen, Michigan and Kansas will battle in the 9-versus-8 seed matchup.

In previewing this subregional, Kansas appears to be the tougher, thornier potential opponent for USC for one basic reason: The Jayhawks are a defense-first team. They rely on their toughness to win games. This brings up a memory from last year’s NCAA Tournament which doesn’t involve USC but could play into a potential Kansas-USC matchup on Monday in the second round.

Ole Miss, under coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin, is a defense-first team. “Coach Yo” had Ole Miss ready to muck things up against Stanford and its skilled performers in the second round last year. It didn’t matter that Stanford was a No. 1 seed playing on its home floor. Ole Miss made the game physical and ugly and difficult, and Stanford couldn’t handle that. USC has seen what a physical, tough, defense-first team can do to its offense. Arizona really bothered the Trojans in recent weeks. Kansas could be that thorny kind of foe in the second round. USC needs to be ready to win an ugly game.

Yes, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi is the first point of focus for this team. We’re not ignoring that. However, in terms of looking at all four teams in Los Angeles this weekend, we who write about USC sports can give you a little sneak peek at Kansas in a possible second-round game. Our conclusion: Michigan beating Kansas would be a good outcome for USC. We will see what happens.

Michigan-Kansas starts the Saturday schedule at Galen Center at 11 a.m. local time in Los Angeles on ESPNEWS. USC then follows with a 1:30 p.m. game (30 minutes after Michigan-Kansas) on ESPN.

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The most important number for USC women’s basketball in NCAA Tournament first-round game

Beyond winning the game, USC needs to achieve one other specific goal in its NCAA Tournament opener on Saturday.

The USC women’s basketball team begins the Women’s NCAA Tournament this Saturday afternoon on its home floor in the Galen Center, the first time the Trojans will host an NCAA Tournament game in Galen since the building opened nearly 20 years ago. It’s a special time for USC, coach Lindsay Gottlieb, superstar JuJu Watkins, and the rest of an overachieving team which won the Pac-12 Tournament and gained a No. 1 seed.

As USC prepares for its first-round game versus the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders, the Trojans aren’t expected to be tested in this contest. It’s a 1 seed versus a 16 seed, after all. What should USC realistically try to get out of this game beyond a win? There’s one really big key, and there’s one number you should have in mind when thinking about that key point.

USC, if it wins on Saturday, would have to turn around on Monday and play another game against Michigan or Kansas. If you watched JuJu Watkins during the season, you know that in the games where she has more rest, she plays and shoots better. She always delivers on defense, but her better offensive games during the season usually came on Fridays and not Sundays. Her 51-point game against Stanford: Friday. Her excellent game versus Colorado: Friday. Her 8 of 27 shooting performance in the loss to Washington? Sunday. Her 6 of 32 shooting line at Oregon State? Sunday.

USC needs JuJu Watkins to be fresh for Monday. That means putting this game away at halftime or early in the third quarter, so that JuJu can get added rest for the Monday game.

The important number: 25. If JuJu Watkins doesn’t have to play more than 25 minutes, that would be a great result for USC. Watkins averages 34.3 minutes per game. Yes, she has had a long time to rest, but she needs her best game in the second round. She shouldn’t have to be at her very best against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. If JuJu can at least play fewer than 30 minutes, that would be good, but hitting 25 minutes — maybe 27 tops — would be especially encouraging for this team as it tries to handle the strain of playing two NCAA Tournament games in three days.

USC plays A&M-CC at 1:30 p.m. in Los Angeles on Saturday, with ESPN showing the game nationwide.

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USC’s JuJu Watkins does something which hadn’t happened in 28 years

JuJu Watkins is USC WBB’s first player to become a First-Team All-American since the great Tina Thompson in 1996.

The USC women’s basketball team has authored a very special season in 2024. The Trojans, as a group, have done something no USC women’s basketball team has achieved in 38 years: Get a No. 1 seed at the NCAA Tournament. USC has won the Pac-12 Tournament for the first time since 2014. The Trojans, who have played in the Galen Center for nearly 20 years, will finally host NCAA Tournament games in their on-campus arena for the very first time. This is a season full of milestones and landmark moments for USC women’s basketball. You can add one more achievement to the list: JuJu Watkins was named a First-Team All-American in 2024, marking the first time in 28 years anyone at the program has done so. You would have to go back to Tina Thompson in 1996 to identify USC’s previous First-Team All-American.

JuJu Watkins probably would have made the All-America Team solely on the basis of her scoring prowess. She has spent almost all of the season second on the average points-per-game scoring list behind Iowa superstar Caitlin Clark. Watkins likely would have been a Second-Team All-America selection solely for her offensive ability.

What makes JuJu Watkins a first-teamer, not a second-teamer, on the All-America roster is her defense. Watkins is an elite on-ball defender who regularly gets multiple steals per game. She is a capable shot blocker as well and has great instincts as a help defender for USC. JuJu Watkins’ quality at both ends of the floor, not just offense, is what makes her a legitimate first-team selection. Now we will see how far this First-Team All-American can carry the Trojans in the Women’s NCAA Tournament.

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Trojans Wire discusses Pac-12 basketball, Women’s NCAA Tournament on national podcast

We talked about USC women’s basketball, the Women’s NCAA Tournament, and more on The Jones Report with Tyler Jones.

The arrival of the Women’s NCAA Tournament is the big story here at Trojans Wire alongside USC spring football practice. My colleague Tim Prangley is covering spring ball, attending some of the practice sessions and diving into the details on the USC football roster. I am continuing to cover the USC women’s basketball team, which has attained a No. 1 seed in the 2024 Women’s NCAA Tournament.

Before Selection Sunday, I joined Tyler Jones of The Jones Report for a discussion of Pac-12 basketball, men and women, plus a brief talk about College Football Playoff expansion. I joined the broadcast at the 1-hour, 22-minute mark of the show, and I began to talk about USC women’s basketball and the Women’s NCAA Tournament just after the 1-hour, 38-minute mark of the show. I speculated about the possibility that USC could face Iowa in a potential Final Four semifinal. Sure enough, that’s how the bracket has unfolded. That matchup could happen. USC and Iowa now need to win four games apiece to make it happen.

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USC’s JuJu Watkins named finalist for 2024 Dawn Staley Award

JuJu Watkins has a very long list of awards and semifinalist nominations, with more to come.

The leading lady for the Women of Troy is Juju Watkins. The USC superstar has been named a finalist for the Dawn Staley Award. The winner will be announced the weekend of the Final Four (April 5-7). A virtual award ceremony will be held on the evening of Thursday, April 11.

Watkins has been insane this season, averaging 27.8 points per game, 7.2 rebounds per game, 2.6 steals per game, and 1.6 blocks per game.

JuJu Watkins 2023-2024 Honors include:

• The Athletic National Freshman of the Year
• The Athletic First Team All-America
• Ann Meyers Drysdale Award finalist
• Dawn Staley Award finalist
• Sullivan Award semifinalist
• Dawn Staley Award late season watch list
• Naismith Midseason watch list
• Ann Meyers Drysdale Award Top 10
• Wade watch list
• Wooden Award late season Top 20
• Wooden Award Midseason Top 25
• Wooden Award Preseason Top 50
• Jersey Mike’s Naismith Award watch list
• Pac-12 Freshman of the Year
• All-Pac-12 Team
• Pac-12 All-Defensive Honorable Mention
• Pac-12 All-Freshman Team
• Pac-12 All-Tournament Team
• Preseason All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention
• Hall of Fame Series Las Vegas Player of the Game (11/6)
• Pac-12 Player of the Week (3x)
• Pac-12 Freshman of the Week (14)

Watkins and the Women of Troy are now awaiting the reveal of the 2024 NCAA Tournament bracket, with the Selection Show set for 5 p.m. Pacific time on Sunday, March 17. USC is likely to get a No. 1 seed and serve as a host school for the first and second rounds.

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USC’s Lindsay Gottlieb named Naismith Coach of the Year semifinalist

Lindsay Gottlieb is undeniably one of the very best coaches in women’s college basketball, this year and in general.

Lindsay Gottlieb is listed among 10 other semifinalists for the Werner Ladder Naismith Coach of the Year Award. She has the USC women’s basketball team ranked No. 3 in the nation.

In her third season at USC, Gottlieb has guided her Women of Troy to their highest national ranking since 1986, coming off USC’s run to the Pac-12 Tournament championship, won over Stanford a week ago.

Gottlieb, who is no stranger to being a top coach in the Pac-12 Conference, previously coached the Cal Bears women’s team to seven NCAA tournaments, including a Final Four appearance in 2013. She has established a track record of consistent success in one of college basketball’s toughest and deepest conferences. She led USC to the Women’s NCAA Tournament last season in just her second year with the Women of Troy. She now has the program poised to make a deep run in this year’s edition of March Madness.

Gottlieb is 59-31 overall with a 29-24 conference record overall at USC in her third year at the school.

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Photos from USC women’s basketball’s historic Pac-12 Tournament championship

USC won its first Pac-12 Tournament since 2014. McKenzie Forbes was the Most Outstanding Player. What a weekend in Vegas!

Many weekends in Las Vegas are lost and wasteful. A roll of the dice, the wrong cards at the table, or a bad spin of the roulette wheel create that losing feeling and a pit of misery. It was exactly the opposite for the USC women’s basketball team, which had one of the most successful and productive weekends anyone could possibly have in Vegas. What happened in Vegas did not stay in Vegas — it reverberated through the USC community and through the national college basketball landscape. USC’s capture of the Pac-12 Tournament championship — the school’s second all-time and its first since 2014 — has very likely lifted the Trojans to a No. 1 seed in the upcoming Women’s NCAA Tournament.

This was an electric occasion and a very special moment for the team, particularly Pac-12 Tournament Most Outstanding Player McKenzie Forbes, who was overcome with emotion after this historic victory and her majestic 26-point performance. Here are photos of a great moment in USC sports history, with Forbes and USC head coach Lindsay Gottlieb taking center stage as the Trojans enter March Madness with full momentum and belief:

USC women’s basketball is a No. 1 seed in new ESPN NCAA Tournament bracketology (March 11)

Boom. USC is now a No. 1 seed in ESPN’s latest projections after winning the Pac-12 Tournament.

The USC women’s basketball team has moved to the top line in the sport. The Women of Troy are now a projected No. 1 seed for the 2024 Women’s NCAA Tournament in ESPN’s latest edition of NCAA Tournament bracketology. ESPN bracketologist Charlie Creme has adjusted his bracket to reflect USC’s wins over both UCLA and Stanford en route to the Pac-12 Tournament championship in Las Vegas.

USC has moved up to the No. 1 line, displacing UCLA, which was a projected No. 1 seed on Friday but has been moved down to a No. 2 seed. The Iowa Hawkeyes are also a No. 1 seed, displacing the Ohio State Buckeyes, who were in the No. 1 slot entering the weekend. Ohio State, which lost to both USC and UCLA during the regular season, would seemingly be eliminated from consideration for a No. 1 seed. UCLA is still in the hunt but would likely need Texas to lose in the Big 12 Tournament to have a chance. Texas and Iowa might be battling for the final No. 1 seed on the board. It could also be that USC and Iowa are both safe for No. 1 seeds, and that Texas is trying to earn a spot as the highest-rated No. 2 seed on the board.

For coverage of Iowa, Ohio State and Texas, be sure to follow our partners at Hawkeyes Wire, Buckeyes Wire, and Longhorns Wire.

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