USC Rises to No. 2 in Women’s Basketball Poll for 1st Time Since ‘80s

The Trojans topped UCLA for the Big Ten title. ‘Your greatest hope is to get to see your players celebrate,’ said fourth-year coach Lindsay Gottlieb.

Kiki Rice of the UCLA Bruins loses control of the ball against Vivian Iwuchukwu of the USC Trojans in the second half at UCLA Pauley Pavilion on March 01, 2025, in Los Angeles. Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

USC ended the regular season with a bang on March 1, and the Associated Press has awarded the Trojans for it after years of mediocrity.

The Trojans earned the No. 2 ranking in the last regular season AP Top 25 Poll on Monday after taking down rival and former No. 2 UCLA 80–67 to win the Big Ten conference title on March 1. USC (26–2) hasn’t been ranked that high since 1986 when the Trojans were queens of the NCAA.

In the 1980s, USC dominated the women’s college basketball scene with national titles in 1983 and 1984 but lost the national championship game in 1986. USC won 21 or more games annually from 1981 to 1988 with at least a regional semifinal appearance in the NCAA tournament.

“A goal was to come here and bring USC back to what it was at one point,” USC head coach Lindsay Gottlieb told the Associated Press on Monday. “Recognition of our history and admiration of the history and it’s a neat feeling in the present moment.”

Previously an assistant coach with the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers from 2019 to 2021, Gottlieb came to USC during a seven-year NCAA tournament drought. The Trojans had cracked 20 wins in a season only three times since the 2010-2011 season. USC went 11–12 the year before Gottlieb arrived—a second losing season in five years.

Gottlieb didn’t get the Trojans to improve right away as the team went 12–16 in 2021-2022, her first year. In year two, the Trojans went 21–10, cracked the Top 25 and made the NCAA tournament as a No. 8 seed but bowed out in the first round. That was USC’s first Top 25 ranking since the 2015-2016 season.

Things continued to build in year three as Gottlieb coached the Trojans to a 29–6 mark, another Top 25 ranking, and an NCAA regional final appearance.

USC ranked as high as No. 3 that year and finished No. 5 in the final poll. The Trojans finished second in the Pac-12 regular season standings and won the conference tournament.

“As a coach, your greatest hope is to get to see your players celebrate, and it doesn’t always happen,” Gottlieb told reporters on March 1 after the win over UCLA.

This season, the program’s first in the Big Ten, the Trojans have risen to a new level. USC has its best record since 1983-1984 and could surpass the 31-win 1982-1983 national championship team, which lost only two games. That’s the only other time the Trojans have lost only twice in a season since the program began in 1981.

USC currently has a seven-game winning streak since a Feb. 2 loss, 76–69, at Iowa on the day when the Hawkeyes retired Caitlin Clark’s jersey. The Trojans’ other defeat came against then-No. 6 Notre Dame on Nov. 23, a 74–61 setback.

Trojans sophomore guard JuJu Watkins leads the team in scoring with 24.4 points per game, and she averages 6.7 assists and 3.6 assists per contest. Senior forward Kiki Iriafen also has been a major part of the Trojans’ success with 18.1 points and 8.3 rebounds per game.

“I’m a very lucky coach to have these two,” Gottlieb told reporters regarding Watkins and Iriafen. “They’re the best duo in the country.”

Freshman guard Kennedy Smith has also been solid with 10 points and four rebounds per contest, and senior Rayah Marshall is a force in the post with 7.4 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks per game.

USC will play again in the Big Ten tournament on Friday for the quarterfinals in Indianapolis. The Trojans face the winner of Thursday’s game between Indiana (18–11) and Oregon (19–10).

“We’re really proud to be the Big Ten regular season champions, and I think that’s the truest test of consistency and excellence,” Gottlieb said.

USC will be aiming for more with the No. 2 ranking in hand.