USC women’s basketball now knows the full road ahead for 2026-27, and it’s a packed one from the jump.
The Trojans will play 13 nonconference games, 18 Big Ten matchups and the first-ever First Look exhibition at the Galen Center, giving Lindsay Gottlieb’s group a schedule loaded with variety before the postseason grind even begins.
That First Look exhibition comes first, with USC hosting Cal on Sunday, Oct. 25, at 2 p.m. PT. A week later, the real thing starts in Las Vegas, where the Trojans open the regular season against UNLV on Monday, Nov. 2, in the TNT Hall of Fame Series at Michelob ULTRA Arena.
USC’s home slate begins shortly after that with Utah State on Nov. 8 and College of Charleston on Nov. 10.
The nonconference portion then takes the Trojans to Greenville, South Carolina, for a Nov. 15 game against the Gamecocks, followed by a trip to Intuit Dome in Inglewood for the Hollywood Hardwood Classic against Baylor on Nov. 20.
The travel doesn’t slow there. USC hosts Northern Arizona on Nov. 23, then heads to the Bahamas for the Baha Mar Hoops Nassau Championship, where it will face Saint Joseph’s on Nov. 27 and Iowa State on Nov. 29.
Big Ten play starts on the road at Washington on Dec. 5, but the Trojans still have a few nonconference dates to handle after that. They close out home nonconference games against Grambling State on Dec. 8 and Youngstown State on Dec. 13, then meet Miami in the Scripps Sports Women’s Basketball Showcase in Phoenix on Dec.
- The final stretch before conference play fully takes over sends USC to Las Vegas for the Players Era Tournament, where it will face Notre Dame on Dec. 19 and Duke on Dec.
The calendar flips with USC back in league action right away. The Trojans visit Wisconsin on Dec. 29, then open the new year with a two-game homestand at the Galen Center against Northwestern on Jan. 2 and Nebraska on Jan. 5.
January turns into a steady Big Ten climb: Maryland on Jan. 8, Rutgers on Jan.
11, Minnesota on Jan. 15, Penn State on Jan. 18, then road trips to Purdue on Jan. 24 and Indiana on Jan.
- USC wraps the month at home against Michigan on Jan. 30 and stays in Los Angeles to face Illinois on Feb.
A tough February follows. USC goes to UCLA on Feb. 7 and Iowa on Feb. 11 before returning home for its longest conference homestand of the season.
That stretch brings Michigan State on Feb. 18, Ohio State on Feb. 21 and UCLA again on Feb. 25 for senior day.
The regular season ends at Oregon on Feb. 28.
The Trojans’ Big Ten slate is split evenly, with nine home games and nine on the road. USC will play defending NCAA champion UCLA twice, first in Westwood and then again at the Galen Center in the regular-season rematch.
The conference tournament is set for March 3-7 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. From there, NCAA Tournament play begins with the First Four on March 17-18, and the Women’s Final Four and national title game are scheduled for April 2 and April 4 in Columbus, Ohio.
USC is entering the season with a roster that looks built to contend. JuJu Watkins, the 2024-25 consensus National Player of the Year, is back, along with reigning National Freshman of the Year Jazzy Davidson and All-Big Ten Defensive Team selection Kennedy Smith.
Gottlieb also welcomes the nation’s No. 1 recruiting class, headlined by top-ranked prospect Saniyah Hall, Australian standout Sitaya Fagan and Spanish forward/center Sara Okeke. Transfers Pania Davis and Ryann Bennett add size and experience to what USC says will be the tallest roster in program history.
Season tickets for 2026-27 are on sale now. USC season ticket holders will also receive a ticket to the First Look exhibition as part of their package.
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USC Walks Into A Road Game That Could Get Awkward Fast
Rutgers is already in an uncomfortable spot before USC ever takes the field in this one. The Scarlet Knights have opened the season with back-to-back heavy losses, including a home defeat to UMass and another setback against Boston College, and the tone around the program has turned quickly as questions start to follow Greg Schiano into the week.
USC, meanwhile, walks into a road game where the opponents mood may be as much a factor as the matchup itself. The Trojans are getting Rutgers at a time when the Scarlet Knights are trying to steady a season that has already gone sideways, and if the noise around Schiano keeps building, this could become one of those trips where the football and the larger tension around the program are impossible to separate. [Read more 🡒]
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Lincoln Riley said the timeline is still unclear, though the expectation is that it should not turn into a long-term issue. In the meantime, USC is looking at other options to absorb the snaps and production, with Zacharyus Williams and Terrell Anderson among the receivers who could be asked to take on more of the load. [Read more 🡒]
USC Fans Got The Jayden Maiava Shoulder Answer They Needed
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For a Trojans team trying to build momentum, the timing mattered as much as the numbers. Maiava also spoke about getting ready for Rutgers and reflected on how far he has come over three seasons at Southern Cal, which adds another layer to a performance that was already important for the scoreboard and the injury conversation alike. [Read more 🡒]