The USC women’s basketball team has flown through the first 12 games of its schedule and has experienced a healthy mix of blowout wins and learning lessons against some of the best teams in the country to collect a 9-3 overall record.
The Trojans have beaten the one conference opponent they’ve played so far – a 59-50 victory over Washington. Now that their nonconference schedule is over, they will return to conference play on Monday in Nebraska.
The No. 17 Trojans are one of eight Big Ten teams currently ranked in the AP Top 25 poll. Here are four questions to consider as USC, with star JuJu Watkins out all season as she recovers from a torn ACL, dives into one of the toughest conferences in the nation.
What is Jazzy Davidson’s ceiling?
The true freshman has taken college basketball by the horns in her first season with the Trojans and is the team’s leading scorer at 16.1 points per game.
Her court vision and basketball IQ have allowed her to blossom into a well-rounded player at the collegiate level. Not only do her offensive contributions give USC a boost, but she’s dependable on defense, too. She leads the Big Ten Conference with 2.4 blocked shots per game.
No. 3 South Carolina and No. 1 Connecticut are the only teams to be somewhat successful in taking her out of the Trojans’ equation so far this season. She put up eight points against the Gamecocks and 10 against the Huskies, who used their size and physicality against her.
USC has multiple players who can score, which is a benefit to Davidson. If the Trojans are able to draw defenders away from her, Davidson will soar.
“I play with a bunch of really great players that can score however many they want,” Davidson said after USC’s victory over Washington. “It really opens things up for me, and I feel like we open things up for each other in that way.”
How will the Trojans’ depth fare in the Big Ten?
USC’s bench is chipping in an average of 26.7 ppg. Head coach Lindsay Gottlieb doesn’t like to define her players by titles like “starter” or “bench player,” though.
“I don’t really think about it that way as much as how are we playing as a unit,” she said after beating Cal Poly. “We have competitive depth, and I think that should allow us to play really hard.
“We do believe that we can play different kinds of lineups. Different people who have different skill sets, different looks and come at people in waves, and you need that in the Big Ten.”
Gottlieb has deployed three different starting lineups this season, and the most successful combination has been that of Davidson, Kara Dunn, Vivian Iwuchukwu, Malia Samuels and Kennedy Smith. That group is 5-1.
Five players are scoring at least 4.5 ppg and four are pulling down 4.6 rebounds or more. The Trojans rank 25th in the country in turnovers per game with 13.1.
The depth could also come in handy if the Trojans encounter foul trouble the way they did in their 61-57 victory over Cal on Dec. 21. Forwards Gerda Raulusaityte and Laura Williams fouled out, and three more players were in foul trouble.
What will be Londynn Jones’ greatest contribution?
Jones spent the past three seasons playing at rival UCLA, but she has fit in well with the Trojans and has an undeniable impact off the bench.
She has started only one game but is scoring 12.9 ppg, which is second on the team, while turning the ball over less than twice a game.
Jones has been the first off the bench and plays well defensively with Samuels, even though neither of them is taller than 5-foot-6. Jones is averaging 1.2 steals per game and Samuels is averaging 1.7 steals, and they share the ability to get up under opponents to create turnovers.
More than anything, Jones is one of the most experienced players on the team in terms of postseason play.
Last season, she and the Bruins beat third-seeded LSU before falling to second-seeded UConn in the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament.
“She’s been to where we want to go,” Gottlieb said. “Maybe wearing the wrong color or the other color – just joking, it’s all love – but she’s been in situations, and that experience is a premium.”
Can USC hang with UCLA?
USC and UCLA will face off twice during the Big Ten slate – Jan. 3 at Pauley Pavilion and March 1 at the Galen Center in the Trojans’ final game of the regular season.
The Bruins are currently ranked No. 4 in the country, but that gap could close as the season goes on. And when it comes to emotional rivalries like this, metrics tend to go out the window.
Gottlieb, who favors game-like repetitions in practice, will look to continue to build the depth the Trojans have developed. That could make the difference against a UCLA team that has a significant size advantage.
Center Lauren Betts is 6-7 and tied for first on the team with 15.2 ppg in addition to 7.5 rebounds. The Bruins’ average height as a team is 6-2.
USC could either choose to send small guards like Jones, Samuels or Kara Dunn after them or try to match their height with 6-5 forward Yakiya Milton, 6-3 forward Raulusaityte or 6-3 forward Iwuchukwu.
Buoyed by the 6-1 Davidson, the Trojans are the fourth-best shot-blocking team in the nation with 6.8 per game, which could serve them well against a Bruins offense that is averaging 85.9 ppg.
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