The No. 3 USC women’s basketball team opened its 2026-27 season in Las Vegas with a statement, rolling past UNLV 100-68 in the Hall of Fame Series on Monday. The night carried plenty of attention because of JuJu Watkins’ return, but it was freshman Saniyah Hall who walked away looking like one of the biggest reasons the Trojans’ ceiling is so high.
Hall wasted no time showing why USC entered the season with such lofty expectations. In her debut, she scored 22 points, grabbed seven rebounds and added one assist while shooting 7-of-8 from the floor. For a team already loaded with star power, it was the kind of first impression that can change the way people talk about the rotation.
USC’s roster construction has been part of the buzz all offseason. Watkins, Jazzy Davidson and Hall give Lindey Gottlieb’s team three former No. 1 overall recruits, and that talent level is a big reason the Trojans are being talked about as a team with championship ambitions. The goal is bigger than a strong regular season, too: USC is expected to push for the 2027 Women’s Final Four in Columbus and chase a national title.
The early returns were loud. Davidson led the Trojans with 23 points on 10-of-11 shooting, while Watkins added 21 points, five rebounds and two assists on 9-of-22 shooting in her first game back after more than 18 months. All three of USC’s headliners finished with 20 or more points in the win.
Watkins’ return carried its own weight. She was visibly emotional after getting back on the floor, and the moment underscored how much she means to the roster. During her recovery from a torn ACL, Watkins served as Davidson’s mentor, and that relationship paid off last season when Davidson carried USC through difficult stretches and averaged 17.9 points, 5.6 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game.
Now, Davidson and Watkins are on the court together, and Hall looks like a player who can fit right alongside them. That combination is what makes USC so dangerous, especially with the Trojans already listed among the national championship favorites at +460, behind South Carolina and UConn, both at +260, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
The schedule won’t let USC ease into anything. The Trojans return to the Galen Center on Sunday for their first home game of the season against Utah State, and the non-conference slate includes matchups with Baylor and top-ranked South Carolina. The Nov. 15 meeting with the Gamecocks in Greenville, South Carolina, stands out as one of the most anticipated games of the opening month and could be a preview of April.
USC will also have to navigate a Big Ten that looks crowded with ranked teams. Along with the Trojans, the conference includes No.
5 Michigan, No. 10 Iowa, No.
11 UCLA, No. 16 Washington, No.
17 Minnesota, No. 18 Ohio State, No.
20 Maryland and No. 23 Illinois.
That’s where Hall’s debut matters so much. USC already knows what Watkins and Davidson can do. If Hall keeps producing like this, the Trojans’ depth becomes even harder to deal with, and that’s before factoring in key pieces like Kennedy Smith and Sitaya Fagan.
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For USC, the addition fits the broader momentum around a class that now sits at 15 commitments. Jones brings the kind of upside programs covet along the defensive front, and the fact that he chose the Trojans after being tied elsewhere suggests the staff made a real impression in person. The next question is how far his game can go once he gets into USCs system. [Read more 🡒]
South Carolinas USC Test Just Got A Lot More Dangerous
JuJu Watkins return to competitive play after 588 days was already the biggest subplot for USC, but Sundays win over UNLV added another layer to the Trojans early-season picture. The guard looked like herself in the box score with 21 points as USC rolled to a 100-68 victory, and the team also got a first look at five-star freshman Saniyah Hall, whose college debut came with a burst of production right away.
Hall finished with 22 points and led USC in rebounds, giving the Trojans another high-level option to lean on as Watkins works back into rhythm after her ACL injury. Watkins missed all of her three-point attempts, which is the sort of detail that matters less in a lopsided opener than it will when the schedule tightens, especially with South Carolina looming as a much stiffer test for a team that suddenly looks deeper and more dangerous. [Read more 🡒]
USC Just Got An Exciting First Look At Its New Core
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Arenas led the way with 21 points, Adonis Ratliff added 25 and Darius Ratliff chipped in 14 points with five blocked shots, the kind of production that immediately changes the tone around a roster. Musselman already had prior NBA connections with Arenas and the Ratliffs, and after one game, it is easy to see why their arrival has raised expectations for what USC might become as the season unfolds. [Read more 🡒]