Why USC women's basketball can still win 2025 NCAA Tournament

03/25/2025 08:28 PM

The USC women’s basketball team has earned a reputation for having resilience, depth, seasoned coaching, and the ability to compete at a high level. Despite the unfortunate injury to star JuJu Watkins, the team still possesses the traits needed to have a legitimate shot at winning the 2025 NCAA Tournament.

Losing a player as dynamic as Watkins at a crucial point in the tournament could be a blow to USC, but the Trojans still have multiple factors that work in their favor. From a coach with a proven track record in Lindsay Gottlieb to its depth of offensive options, USC is well-built enough to overcome this moment of adversity and keep contending for the national title.

USC’s options beyond JuJu Watkins

Even for the most top-heavy squads, basketball is still a team sport. Watkins is surely a key player and the featured attraction for many, but the Trojans have a well-rounded team with plenty of contributors who can step up and take on a bigger role.

The team proved exactly that in the way it easily handled Mississippi State when Watkins went down in the first quarter. The Trojans didn’t need their sophomore dynamo to crush the ninth seed 96-59, as the defense stepped up to an unrelenting level and the offense knocked down shot after shot.

Kiki Iriafen was the most notable standout in Watkins’ absence, putting up a dominant 36-point, 9-rebound performance with two assists and two blocks, and she’s consistently shown up in big games. Freshmen Kayleigh Heckel, Avery Howell, and Kennedy Smith also each had double-digit scoring outings, proving that the program balances its mixture of upper and underclassmen effectively.

Meanwhile, versatile force Rayah Marshall held things down for the defense with four blocks and nine rebounds, moving her career block tally to 300 total and joining legends Cheryl Miller and Lisa Leslie in the USC history books.

This lineup clearly doesn’t need Watkins on the court to have record-setting moments.

USC possesses a roster of players capable of filling any void Watkins may have left in the scoring, defensive playmaking, and leadership departments. While the next round might feel like a bitter Sweet 16 for the Trojans without the 19-year-old phenom, they’ve also used Watkins’ injury to inspire their gameplay as they continue the mission they set out on together.

USC has experienced coaching

Head coach Lindsay Gottlieb is entering March Madness with 15 years of collegiate coaching experience, a 327-163 career record, and a successful tournament history behind her. In just four years at the helm for the Trojans, she’s led them to their first tournament No. 1 seed since 1986, their second-ever Pac 12 Tournament title in 2024, and a historic Elite Eight run in the same year.

Before that, she spent eight seasons at Cal and took the program to a regular-season conference championship, two conference title games, and seven NCAA Tournament appearances, which included a trip to the Final Four. Gottlieb saw similar success in three years at UC Santa Barbara, where she helped them clinch two regular-season conference titles, a conference tournament championship, and an NCAA Tournament berth.

Gottlieb is well-versed in postseason coaching, and those skills will be essential to keeping the Trojans competitive without Watkins.

Trojans will be motivated by the circumstances

So far, the Trojans have demonstrated how they’re using adversity as motivation to propel them closer to the national title. USC started the postseason aiming to cut down the nets for the first time in its history, and that goal hasn’t changed in light of Watkins’ injury.

The Trojans have also made solid runs in both their conference tournament and in March Madness recently, and a handful of players from those runs are still on the squad. Having youth is a definite asset, but having veterans who are familiar with how to play through high stakes is invaluable and gives the underclassmen players to learn from.

The road to the NCAA Tournament Championship will undoubtedly be tougher without Watkins, but USC has consistently shown that its resilience can shine through in pressure-packed situations. The program’s toughness, previous March Madness experience, and depth of offensive options put it in the best position possible to move forward without Watkins.

The Trojans are prepared for the intensity and unpredictability that comes with March Madness, so adapting to JuJu Watkins’ injury is a challenge they can handle. With the right adjustments, aggressive play, and teammates collectively rising to the occasion, the USC women’s basketball team is far from out of the race for the national title.

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