When Lindsay Gottlieb Looking back on last basketball season, it's impossible not to think about the pressure. In the spotlight USC was burning brightly from the first day last fall, the whole hoops world seemed to be waiting JuJu Watkins lift the Trojans to a national title. All program participants felt this heaviness. Even the USC coach.
“Everyone felt like we were a contender for a national championship,” Gottlieb said.
She now admits there were lessons learned from the ordeal and there were many things she could have done differently. Although no one could have planned it Watkins' knee buckled awkwardly beneath her. in the second round of the NCAA tournament – or for injury take away her entire next season at USC.throwing a powerful jerk into the Trojans' trajectory.
Now, as USC prepares for a season without its superstar, there is no such pressure. With the Trojans' season opening Tuesday against New Mexico State, the focus will be elsewhere. Because as far as the college hoops world is concerned, given Watkins' absence, there are no outside expectations for the Trojans to start this season.
USC guard JuJu Watkins gives head coach Lindsey Gottlieb a high-five. Watkins' star status brought national title expectations last season.
(Jae S. Hong/Associated Press)
A year ago, Gottlieb had to confront the hype head-on. “It would be stupid to ignore [expectations]”, she said.
But this year? “I think it would be foolish to do anything other than ignore them.”
After making the Elite Eight last March (sans Watkins in part), USC was ranked No. 18 in the initial Associated Press Top 25 poll. When asked last month about the Trojans' rankings, Gottlieb called the preseason polls largely “educated guesses.” However, some fans considered it disrespectful after a season in which USC lost just four games and won the Big Ten regular season title.
But the truth is the Trojans open the season with far more questions than answers. USC lost not only Watkins, but also six of its top seven scorers from the Elite Eight team due to injury, the WNBA or the transfer portal. He has no proven players in the frontcourt and is expected to open the season with a four-man committee. Not to mention, they face one of the toughest schedules in the country, with four games against the top three in the preseason: UCLA, South Carolina and Connecticut.
“There are still a lot of unknowns than last year,” said Gottlieb, who is entering her fifth season as coach. “And so I have to do my job.”
This work begins with Watkins—or rather, the gaping void her absence leaves at both ends of the room.
Gottlieb has no illusions that anyone will take the superstar's place. Even if it's tempting to combine it all with freshman Jazzy Davidsonthe country's top prospect in 2025.
“No one can replace the JuJu. It's a very unique boot,” Gottlieb said. “But the fact that Jazzy can come into our program and already make a really unique and incredible impression on everyone is pretty wild.
“She's very, very good. I'll start there. She's good at the next level.”
How quickly that talent shines on the court could very well determine the direction of USC's season. But Davidson isn't interested in being compared to the Trojans' latest prospect, who became an instant sensation as a freshman.
Freshman Jazzy Davidson practices during USC women's basketball practice at the Galena Center.
(USC Athletics/Associated Press)
“She’s JuJu—a generational player,” Davidson said. “I think we both do different things. She's helped me a lot with the transition. But really, I'm just helping the team win in any way I can.”
No one doubts that she will do it. Already, the freshman’s defensive prowess has made a special impression in training.
“She has incredible length,” sophomore guard Kennedy Smith said. “The span of her wings So long. She blocks shots all the time.”
Her offense should certainly follow suit, considering Davidson is the leading scorer in Oregon Class 6A women's basketball history.
But how much the Trojans will have to rely on their star freshman to start the season, especially with tough non-conference matchups with Connecticut and South Carolina, remains to be seen.
Regardless of who takes the lead on offense, USC will need Smith to take a big step forward if the Trojans hope to keep up in a competitive Big Ten race.
USC guard Kennedy Smith holds the ball from UConn guard Paige Bueckers during an Elite Eight NCAA Tournament game on March 31 in Spokane, Washington.
(Young Kwak/Associated Press)
Already a dominant defender in her freshman season, Smith was an inconsistent perimeter shooter as a freshman. Now, having just won a gold medal with Team USA at the FIBA AmeriCup, Smith said that as a sophomore she “really got into my bag.”
“I feel like I need to be more consistent in my role,” she said. “But I feel like everyone on this team has value and everyone can get a bucket if they want to.”
USC will need all the help if it has any hope of defending its Big Ten title. Georgia Tech transfer Kara Dunn will be critical to the Trojans' backcourt as she is the most consistent threat from 3-point range. USC also needs someone from its big four, which includes Jakia Milton, Laura Williams, Vivian Ivuchukwu and Lithuanian import Gerda Raulusaityte, none of whom have averaged more than two points per game in college basketball.
These questions will need to be answered soon enough. But if you take into account any of the participants in the program, expectations will not change in any case.
“The goal remains the same – a national championship,” Smith said. “It’s just navigating with what we have.
“And our situation is not bad at all.”
