If you have followed USC women’s basketball closely this season, you know how poorly the Trojans‘ offense performed against Notre Dame one month ago on Nov. 23. USC welcomed the Fighting Irish to the Galen Center and were run out of the building. Notre Dame cruised to a 74-61 win, leading the Trojans by 14 with six minutes left and leaving JuJu Watkins bewildered. That loss was so decisive, and USC’s failure on offense so complete, that the Trojans needed to learn every possible lesson from that humiliating experience. Kiki Iriafen struggled. JuJu Watkins didn’t get much of any help. The absence of Kennedy Smith due to injury forced younger Trojans to play more minutes, and they weren’t prepared. Everything snowballed on USC, which often played with too much adrenaline and not enough precision. Lindsay Gottlieb was outcoached by Notre Dame’s Niele Ivey. Going to UConn for this big pre-Christmas showdown, everything about USC’s offense needed to be better.
The USC defense did not play poorly against Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish scored just 52 points in the first three quarters, only 61 in the first 36 minutes of the game. That’s good enough to win. The offense — which similarly struggled against Ole Miss in the season opener in France — is what Gottlieb and her staff needed to fix.
While not everything was perfect against UConn, USC made major improvements and looked like a Final Four team for most of the night. UConn made a furious run at the Trojans and briefly took a late one-point lead, but the Trojans had the final answer. Let’s take a deeper look at a thrilling game and a monster win for the Women of Troy:
READY TO ROCK AND ROLL
USC was clearly second-best against Notre Dame one month ago. The Trojans were on their heels from start to finish. The Irish controlled the game. This time, USC came ready to throw the first punch and set the tone. The Trojans scored 24 points in the first quarter, 42 in the first half. They didn’t score 48 points until there were six minutes left versus Notre Dame. The offense was much improved. Let’s see how USC turned things around:
IMPROVED CONTROL
Against Notre Dame, playing at home, USC got caught up in the moment and was too full of adrenaline. The Trojans were frenetic and scattered. They let the energy of their home building overwhelm them. They weren’t in control of what they did at the offensive end of the floor. Against UConn, we saw more precision, more poise, more composure. The Trojans were decisive in the first half but not rushed. They were authoritative but not panicky. Everything was more contained and calm, and we saw better shotmaking as a result.
As John Wooden famously said, “Be quick, but don’t hurry.” USC hurried versus Notre Dame but was quick against UConn.
KENNEDY THE CONNECTOR
Kennedy Smith did not play versus Notre Dame. She returned to the lineup for this game, and her impact was clear. She made some great entry passes to teammates and changed the geometry of USC’s halfcourt offense. She helped with spacing and screening and did things which don’t show up in the box score. She helped give USC the structure it needed to be better.
3-POINT SHOOTING
When USC shoots the 3-pointer well, it’s really hard to beat the Trojans. USC went 9 of 16 on triples in this game. Versus Notre Dame: 1 of 13.
KIKI IRIAFEN
Kiki Iriafen isn’t the best player on this team — of course it’s JuJu Watkins — but she is the most important player on this team. She showed why in the fourth quarter, scoring two buckets at the start of the quarter and working with Rayah Marshall in high-low passing combinations over the top of the UConn defense. Iriafen provided attack angles other USC players can’t offer. She handed out six assists, a bigger contribution than her eight made field goals. She can still improve — specifically in terms of finishing plays at the rim — but she was a much more effective player tonight than she was versus Notre Dame.
THE FRESHMEN
The USC Trojans had the No. 1-rated freshman class this year. Those freshmen were going to need time to blend into the team and find their footing. They were solid against UConn. The tandem of Kayleigh Heckel and Avery Howell played a combined 35 minutes, generating 11 points and coughing up just one turnover while playing solid defense. That’s a significant contribution in a game USC won by two, 72-70. The kids are all right, and they’re getting better.
JUJU BUCKETS
In crunch time, JuJu Watkins was ready. Her and-one bucket and free throw gave USC the lead back (67-65) after UConn briefly went ahead 65-64 late. JuJu then made three cash-money free throws in the final minute. The star made star plays when it counted.
LINDSAY GOTTLIEB OUTCOACHES GENO AURIEMMA
Lindsay Gottlieb was outcoached by Notre Dame’s Niele Ivey. More broadly, her elite status as an offensive coach did not show up against Ole Miss and Notre Dame, whose defenses dominated USC’s offense. Gottlieb needed something better as an X-and-O coach against Geno Auriemma, who outcoached her in the 2024 Elite Eight.
Gottlieb answered the call just as much as her USC players did.
What you could see in this USC offense was a better attention to detail, and more specifically, of getting the ball to the high post, often the elbow areas. USC either dumped the ball to the low post in a high-low action, or JuJu took the ball near the elbow and created at the free throw line, either shooting a jumper (as on her and-one go-ahead bucket) or driving or dumping to a teammate for a layup.
Gottlieb realized that USC attacked UConn effectively up the middle third of the court, not from the wings. USC went straight ahead against UConn rather than going to the corners or the baseline. It was always the right angle of attack, and USC exploited it enough to get key baskets. Gottlieb earned her pay in this game and got back at Geno after UConn denied USC a trip to the Final Four last April in Portland.
USC STANDS UP TO UCONN AND UCLA
UCLA beat South Carolina earlier this season. USC did not have an elite, top-tier win on that scale. Now the Trojans do. They have matched UCLA with a big-time result. USC and UCLA — and UConn — could all be No. 1 seeds at the 2025 Women’s NCAA Tournament. The battle between USC and UCLA for the Big Ten championship just became even more of a box-office showcase.
USC PLAYS LIKE A FINAL FOUR TEAM
Very simply, this is the USC team we all hoped to see before the season. This team, especially the team which took an 18-point lead over UConn on the road before the Huskies made a 32-13 run to briefly take the lead, is capable of winning the national title. We have finally received a taste of what this team can become. If the freshmen off the bench continue to improve; if Kennedy Smith stays healthy for the rest of the season; and if Kiki Iriafen gets better at finishing plays at the rim, USC has all the makings of a Final Four team … and possibly something more than that.
Enjoy this USC team. We saw how high the ceiling is — high enough to cut down nets next April in Tampa, Florida.
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: USC delivers Final Four-level statement, beats UConn on the road
