Roll over football - USC basketball has taken the stage.
That much was obvious Sunday at Galen Center, where the Trojans opened their women’s basketball exhibition season with a 78-76 win over UC Berkeley and gave 4,748 fans a glimpse of what this roster can become. After last week’s football mess - a 24-7 loss to Wisconsin in which USC managed -17 rushing yards, the program’s fewest since 1999 - the mood around campus shifted fast.
The real draw was the long-awaited return of JuJu Watkins, who missed the entirety of last season and looked every bit like the centerpiece this team has been waiting for. But Watkins was hardly the only headliner. USC also got the debut of freshman guard Saniyah Hall, the No. 1 overall recruit from the Class of 2025, and sophomore guard Jazzy Davidson, the No. 1 overall recruit from the Class of 2023, was right back in the mix for her second season.
Hall made her first appearance as a Trojan and wasted no time making an impression, finishing with 23 points, one assist and five steals. Davidson once again played nearly the entire game, just as she did last season, and added 18 points while bringing her usual defensive presence.
Watkins’ return gave the night its biggest jolt, but the Trojans’ three-star core still left plenty to polish. USC won by only two despite the kind of talent that looks capable of blowing games open, and even with all that firepower, the pieces are still settling into place. This is the first time these players have shared a court without one of them clearly running the show, and none of them is serving as the primary ball handler in the way they have elsewhere.
What stands out most is how much more than scoring this group brings. The shooting is obvious, but the passing and vision are just as dangerous. They can create for themselves, sure, but they also know how to find the open teammate.
The Trojans have only two seniors, which makes the future easy to imagine. Still, the present is what matters right now, and the present belongs to Watkins. Hall and Davidson only make the picture brighter.
If the exhibition was any indication, USC women’s basketball is going to be a show worth watching. The kind of talent on display Sunday is rare, and the crowd at Galen Center seemed to know it. This felt like the start of something big - even if it’s not fully there yet.
And if you’re waiting around for football to fix your weekend, you may want to look elsewhere.
In Other News...
Baylor Suddenly Enters The Lincoln Riley Coaching Carousel Talk
Lincoln Rileys name has barely had time to settle into the USC conversation before the next round of coaching carousel chatter began, and this one reaches well beyond Los Angeles. After the Trojans recent loss and an uneven stretch that has raised questions about the direction of the program, Riley is suddenly being mentioned in connection with Big 12 openings, including Baylor and TCU, even as USC sits at 6-2 and still has plenty left in front of it.
For USC, the timing is what makes the speculation feel especially uneasy. The Trojans still have a demanding finish ahead, including a key matchup with Ohio State, and the outcomes there could shape how the season is remembered and how much noise follows Riley into the winter. Insiders have pointed to prior interest and the possibility of change depending on what happens next, which is enough to keep this story alive even before any real decision is on the table. [Read more 🡒]
Lincoln Riley Just Raised The Stakes On USCs Brutal Stretch
After a rough run and a growing sense of urgency around the program, Lincoln Riley made it clear he still sees USC moving in the right direction. The Trojans have not had the kind of recent results anyone around the program wanted, and the path to the College Football Playoff has been tougher than expected, but Riley pointed to the foundation being built under his watch, from a top recruiting class to upgraded facilities.
Jen Cohens arrival as athletic director has also given Riley another important layer of support as USC tries to steady itself through a punishing stretch on the schedule. The next run of games will tell a lot about how far the Trojans have come, because it is coming against ranked Big Ten opponents and will test both the roster and the coachs belief that the progress behind the scenes is starting to show up where it matters most. [Read more 🡒]
USC Has A Real Opening To Rattle Ohio State At Home
USC gets Ohio State at a moment when the matchup looks a little more vulnerable than it did a few weeks ago. The Trojans have their own blemishes after losses to Wisconsin and Oregon, but they also get the Buckeyes at home, where the crowd and the setting can matter more than the records suggest. Ohio State remains the more complete team on paper, yet this is the sort of game where a home field can shrink the gap and give USC a real shot to make things uncomfortable.
A lot hinges on how the Buckeyes handle the quarterback situation, with freshman Luke Fahey expected to start in place of Julian Sayin. Even with Ohio States strong history against unranked opponents, the Trojans have enough offensive and defensive pieces to keep this from turning into a routine visit. If USC can settle in early and turn the stadium into an edge, this has the makings of a closer game than the rankings might indicate, and perhaps even one where the outcome stays in doubt late. [Read more 🡒]