USC women’s basketball enters the 2026-27 season looking a lot different than it did a year ago, and a lot more dangerous.
The Trojans are coming off a frustrating 2025-26 run that ended with an 18-14 record and a second-round exit from the NCAA tournament, but the roster has been restocked around the return of star senior guard JuJu Watkins. After last season was derailed by Watkins’ ACL injury, USC has added size, scoring and defensive depth in an effort to get back among the sport’s elite.
Watkins is the centerpiece, but she’s no longer carrying the load alone. Sophomore guard Jazzy Davidson gave USC a huge lift in Watkins’ absence and turned in a standout season of her own, averaging 17.9 points, 5.6 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game while also leading the team with two blocks and two steals a night. Her production earned her Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors, along with All-Big Ten First-Team and Big Ten All-Defensive Team recognition.
Another important returner is junior guard Kennedy Smith, who has become one of the Trojans’ most reliable pieces. She averaged 11.5 points, 3.6 assists and 4.3 rebounds last season, reached double figures in 19 games, and also landed on the Big Ten All-Defensive Team.
USC did lose a major piece in the offseason. Kara Dunn, the team’s second-leading scorer, signed with the Phoenix Mercury after the 2026 WNBA Draft. Dunn averaged 15.2 points and 5.0 rebounds and earned All-Big Ten Second Team honors, leaving a gap in both scoring and toughness that the Trojans now have to replace.
That’s where the incoming class comes in. USC added freshmen Sitaya Fagan, Saniyah Hall, Sara Okeke and Alesia Talkouskaya, along with transfers Ryann Bennett and Pania Davis.
Hall brings the biggest buzz. The five-star prospect was the No. 1 overall recruit in the 2026 class, making her the third No. 1 recruit on the roster alongside Watkins and Davidson.
She arrives with a resume that already includes two USA Basketball gold medals, 2025 U19 FIBA World Cup MVP honors and a high school junior season in which she averaged 20.3 points and 6.7 rebounds.
Her game fits what USC wants to do: create off the dribble, stretch the floor and make defenders pay from everywhere. She also made an immediate impression in the Trojans’ exhibition against UC Berkeley on Sunday, when she led the team with 23 points on 9-of-13 shooting and added six rebounds and five steals. Davidson had 18 points and seven assists, and Watkins scored 18 points with three rebounds and three steals in her first floor time with Davidson.
That pairing may be the biggest reason USC feels so loaded. Watkins, who arrived as the nation’s No. 1 recruit and averaged 27.1 points and 7.3 rebounds as a freshman before posting 23.9 points and 6.8 rebounds as a sophomore, has already won the 2025 Women’s Wooden Award. With nearly 600 days of recovery behind her, she is set to return to Galen Center with plenty of firepower around her.
The Trojans will still have to prove it against a demanding schedule. They’ll face No.
1 South Carolina, No. 4 Duke, No.
11 UCLA and No. 13 Notre Dame, along with additional ranked opponents in conference play.
That slate will tell the story quickly.
USC opens the season in the Hall of Fame Series against the University of Nevada, Las Vegas on Monday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas at 1 p.m.
In Other News...
USC Faces A Defining Ohio State Test Jide Abasiri Set The Tone
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Abasiri pointed to the growth of a true freshman and a Michigan State transfer as examples of the kind of contributions USC needs if it wants to stand up to an elite opponent. He also offered a glimpse into the teams mindset and the culture around fan behavior, framing this game as part of a larger standard rather than a one-off event. For the Trojans, the challenge is bigger than the opponent on the schedule. It is about whether they can turn that talk about physicality into something that holds up for four quarters. [Read more 🡒]
Arch Manning Just Became Texas Biggest Quarterback Watch
Arch Mannings future at Texas has suddenly become one of the sports most closely watched storylines, and the ripple effect reaches all the way to USC. Even with no public indication that Manning is ready to leave Austin, the speculation around a possible move for the 2027 season has already turned into a broader recruiting and roster-watch conversation, with analysts and insiders floating familiar powers like Ole Miss, Georgia, USC and Miami as possible fits.
For the Trojans, the intrigue is obvious. USC has been tied to the discussion because of the kind of quarterback talent it always attracts and the way coaching connections and roster openings can shape these high-end decisions, even if nothing concrete has surfaced. For now, it is still a theory more than a timeline, but when a name like Manning enters the portal rumor mill, every program with quarterback ambition has to pay attention. [Read more 🡒]
USC Has No Margin For Empty Talk Against Ohio State
After the loss to Wisconsin, USC players spent the week sounding less interested in making promises than in fixing the basics before Ohio State arrives. The defensive side of the ball in particular talked about the need for sharper fundamentals and a more consistent edge in practice, a reminder that the Trojans know they cannot afford a loose stretch with a heavyweight opponent waiting next on the schedule.
Lincoln Riley also addressed the outside noise and confirmed he remains with the program, cutting off at least one distraction as USC tries to steady itself. Amid the football fallout, freshman wide receiver Ethan Feaster added a different kind of note to the week by launching a breast cancer awareness merchandise campaign to support related charities, a small but notable off-field effort as the Trojans try to regain traction. [Read more 🡒]