Where USC ranks in Way-Too-Early Top 25 for the 2024-25 season
The USC Trojans fell short of a trip to the Final Four this season, but it was a remarkable year for head coach Lindsay Gottlieb and her program. The Trojans finished the regular season ranked No. 3 in the nation and earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1986.
Expectations will be high for the Trojans next season as USC is set to return superstar freshman JuJu Watkins and will welcome the nation’s No. 1 recruiting class. ESPN.com released a preview of next season with their Women’s NCAA basketball Way-Too-Early Top 25 for the 2024-25 season and the Trojans are featured prominently, coming in at No. 5.
Here’s what ESPN had to say about the Trojans:
“Lindsay Gottlieb transformed the USC program by landing 2023’s top recruit. She gave JuJu Watkins the freedom to be a star and it landed the Trojans in the Elite Eight. Now, Gottlieb will be bringing in the top recruiting class in the country to play with Watkins as USC makes its way to the Big Ten. Kennedy Smith, a 6-1 wing, headlines the six-player class that will help replace the loss of grad students Kayla Padilla, McKenzie Forbes and Kaitlyn Davis.”
At No. 5 overall, USC is also the top-ranked Big Ten team in the Way-Too-Early Top 25. The Trojans are one spot ahead of No. 6 UCLA and those two programs could be the clear top two in the conference next season. The next Big Ten team is Nebraska at No. 21, followed by Ohio State at No. 22. Illinois rounds out the top 25 at No. 25 and Michigan is listed among the teams also considered.
Watkins will be a star and one of the faces of college basketball next season. As a freshman, she won the Ann Meyers Drysdale Shooting Guard of the Year Award and was selected as the National Freshman of the Year by the WBCA, USWBA, The Athletic and USA TODAY. She also became just the fifth freshman ever to earn AP All-America First Team honors.
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