After a tough weekend against the nation’s best, USC women’s basketball has taken a hit in the rankings, dropping three spots to No. 19 in the latest AP Top 25 poll released Monday. The slide comes on the heels of a lopsided home loss to No. 1-ranked Connecticut - a game that offered a harsh but valuable measuring stick for the Women of Troy.
USC (7-3) struggled mightily to generate offense against the defending national champions. During a nearly 12-and-a-half-minute stretch in the first half, the Trojans managed just two points - a drought that allowed UConn to seize full control of the game early. By the second half, the deficit had ballooned to as much as 39 points in front of a packed Galen Center crowd.
Sophomore guard Kennedy Smith led USC with 16 points, though it came on a tough 5-of-15 shooting night. Senior guard Londynn Jones provided a spark off the bench with 14 points on 3-of-10 shooting, while freshman standout Jazzy Davidson added 10 points but also struggled from the field, going 3-for-13. It was a night where offensive rhythm was hard to come by, and the Huskies' relentless defense made sure of that.
Head coach Lindsay Gottlieb didn’t sugarcoat things afterward, acknowledging both the shortcomings and the lessons to be taken from the loss.
“I think that we competed at times, and I'm proud of the fight that we had,” Gottlieb said. “But I thought our attention to detail wasn't good enough to win the game or to compete as well as we wanted to compete against them.
I think we'll get better from it. I saw some bright spots with certain things.”
Gottlieb emphasized that games like this - against elite opponents - are part of the process. “You play a team like this because then you know if you don't play hard and get it right, it's not gonna be good enough,” she said. “And we want to play hard and get it right and be the best possible team we can be.”
That mindset will be crucial as USC wraps up its non-conference slate and gears up for the grind of Big Ten play. The Trojans have two more out-of-league games - one at home against Cal Poly and another against California in San Francisco - before hitting the road for a marquee conference matchup at No. 23 Nebraska to close out the calendar year.
Meanwhile, the top of the AP poll remains mostly unchanged. Connecticut, Texas, South Carolina, UCLA, LSU, Michigan, and Maryland continue to hold down the top seven spots.
Oklahoma and TCU flipped at No. 8 and No. 9, while Iowa State stays steady at No. 10.
Big Ten rival Iowa holds firm at No. 11, with Ohio State still at No. 21.
Washington dropped two spots to No. 22, Nebraska sits at No. 23, and Michigan State climbs to No.
Across the country, teams are finishing up their non-conference schedules this week before diving headfirst into league play. One of the most anticipated matchups of the weekend?
No. 11 Iowa taking on No.
1 UConn in Brooklyn for the Champions Classic at Barclays Center - a clash that could shake up the top tier of the poll heading into the new year.
For USC, the loss to UConn was a reality check - but also a chance to recalibrate. The Trojans have the talent, and now they’ve gotten a front-row seat to what the gold standard looks like.
The next step? Turning those lessons into wins when it matters most.