How to Watch No. 20 Nebraska Women's Basketball vs. No. 17 USC with Preview, Breakdown, Streaming

The 2025 non-conference slate didn't turn out to be a problem for the No. 20 Nebraska women's basketball team, which ran all over Cal Baptist for a 32-point fourth to claim its eighth victory of 30 or more points this season.

Jessica Petrie found the net in the second half, where she poured in 10 of her game-high 17 points. Sophomore forward Amiah Hargrove added 15 points and a game-high eight rebounds while point guard Britt Prince chipped in 11 points, three rebounds, three assists, two steals, and two blocks to help NU pull away from a scrappy Lancers team looking for an upset. The Huskers finished a perfect 11-0 in non-conference play, and combined with their win at Penn State, Nebraska moved to 12-0 on the year for their second-best start in program history.

But play time is over, and the real tests begin. Beginning a stretch that sees the Huskers play four ranked opponents in their next six outings, Nebraska has the opportunity to stake its claim as a Big Ten contender alongside the heavyweights.

Here's all you need to know as NU hosts No. 17 USC for their final game in the year of 2025.

How to Follow Along

Matchup: No. 20 Nebraska (12-0, 1-0 B1G) vs. No. 17 USC (9-3, 1-0 B1G)
When: Monday, December 29
Where: Pinnacle Bank Arena, Lincoln, Neb.
Time: 2 p.m. CST
Watch: B1G+
Listen: Huskers Radio Network and Affiliates

No. 17 USC Scout

Head Coach

Lindsay Gottlieb | 5th season at USC; 16th as HC
102-38 (.729) at USC; 334-167 (.667) Career Record
11x NCAA Tournament Apps., 1x Final Four, 2x Elite Eight.
1x B1G Regular Season (2025), 1x Pac-12 Regular Season & Tournament, 2x Big West Championships.
1x B1G Coach OTY, 1x Pac-12 Coach OTY, 1x Big West Coach OTY.
Previous head coach at Cal and UC Santa Barbara | Previous assistant at Cleveland Cavaliers (NBA), Cal, Richmond, New Hampshire and Syracuse.

2025 Record & Awards

31-4 (17-1 B1G, 1st)
John R. Wooden Award, Naismith National Player OTY, AP National Player OTY.
1x Consensus All-American.
Big Ten Player and Coach OTY.
All-B1G: 2x First Team, 2x Honorable Mention, 2x All-Defensive, 1x All-Freshman.

All-Time Series

USC leads 5-4.
Jan. 1, 2025, last matchup, 75-55 USC.

Last season's national player of the year, USC guard JuJu Watkins will miss the 2025-2026 season due to a torn ACL. | Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images

Key Returners

JuJu Watkins | G | Jr. | Swept every major Player of the Year award last season after averaging nearly 24 points per game, but is out for the season to recover from a torn ACL suffered in the 2025 NCAA Tournament.
Kennedy Smith | G | Soph. | Returning starter at guard that has matched her production from last season with 9.9 PPG while being second on the Trojans in both assists and steals.
Vivian Iwuchukwu | F | Soph. | Appeared in 19 games as a true freshman last season, but the 6-foot-3 forward has developed into a part-time starter this year.
Malia Samuels | G | Jr. | Coming off the bench in 34 of her 35 games last season, the junior has started all but one game this season.
Laura Williams | F | R-Fr. | Redshirted her first college season at USC due to injury and has made 11 appearances off the bench this year.

Key Departures

Kiki Iriafen | F | Graduated | Transfer from Stanford, who was an unanimous All-Big Ten First Team pick after averaging over 18 points and eight rebounds per contest in her final season of college basketball.
Rayah Marshall | C/F | Graduated | Second round pick of the WNBA Draft after making the Big Ten All-Defensive team with 7.9 PPG, 8.4 RPG, and 70 blocks as a senior.
Avery Howell | G | Transfer | Now at Washington after being a key freshman reserve for USC last season, when she averaged 7.5 points per game while hitting nearly 40% of her three-pointers.
Kayleigh Heckel | G | Transfer | Transferred to UConn — who beat USC in last year's Elite Eight — after adding six points per game off the bench for the Trojans as a true freshman.
Talia Von Oelhoffen | G | Graduated | One-year transfer from Oregon State that didn't add much scoring punch (5.9 PPG) as a starter, but tied Watkins for the team lead in assists with 113.
Clarice Akunwafo | C | Graduated | The Nigerian native was a 6-foot-6 center off the bench for USC last season, grabbing 2.5 rebounds per contest in 34 appearances.

Now in the WNBA, former USC forward Kiki Iriafen (44) was an All-Big Ten First Team pick in her final collegiate season last. — Now in the WNBA, former USC forward Kiki Iriafen (44) was an All-Big Ten First Team pick in her final collegiate season last year. | James Snook-Imagn Images

Impact Transfers/Newcomers

Jazzy Davidson | G | Fr. | Ranked as ESPN's No. 1 overall recruit in the class of 2025, the Oregon native leads the team in points (16.8), rebounds (6.7), assists (45), steals (24), and blocks (30).
Londynn Jones | G | Sr. | Transferring from rival UCLA, where she was an All-Big Ten Honorable Mention last year, the senior is second on the Trojans with over 12 points per game while coming off the bench in all but one game this year.
Kara Dunn | G | Sr. | An All-ACC First Team pick last year at Georgia Tech, Dunn leads all starters with a 38.8% mark from three and adds 11.2 points and five rebounds per game.
Gerda Raulušaityte | F | Jr. | The 2024-2025 Lithuanian Women's Basketball League MVP, the foreign transfer has started six of her 12 games and adds nearly four points and rebounds per contest.
Yakiya Milton | F | Jr. | A pickup from Auburn for forward depth, the 6-foot-5 Floridian chips in 3.3 points and 3.5 rebounds in her 10 games.
Dayana Mendes | G/F | Soph. | Spent her freshman season at Washington State, where she averaged 8.3 PPG, 5.3 RPG, and 1.3 APG in over 18.5 minutes per game.

Outlook

Behind the generational talent of JuJu Watkins and the support of reigning Forward of the Year Kiki Iriafen, plus defensive stalwart Rayah Marshall, USC and head coach Lindsay Gottlieb reached their second consecutive Elite Eight before falling to eventual national champions UConn. The bad part for the Trojans is that all three — plus more — departed the program, except for Watkins, who's out for the entire 2025-2026 campaign after suffering a torn ACL in the tournament.

Talia Von Oelhoffen was a key pickup from Oregon State, trying the team high with 113 assists, but she left after exhausting her eligibility. A pair of key freshman reserves left for greener pastures. Avery Howell (Washington) led all Trojans by nearly hitting 40% of her three pointers, while Kayleigh Heckel (6.1 PPG) moved east to join the defending champion Huskies.

A Watkins return would have made the returning nucleus servicable, but her injury status — plus those two freshman transfers — made the returning group thin with talent. Returning starter and guard Kennedy Smith has kept her scoring touch (9.9 PPG) and provides solid minutes as a ball distributor. However, Vivian Iwuchukwu (4.1 PPG), Malia Samuels (3.2 PPG), and Laura Williams (2.8 PPG) are supporting pieces rather than stars to build around.

ESPN's No. 1 overall recruit in the 2025 class, Jazzy Davidson leads USC in most stat categories as a true freshman guard. | Cory Knowlton-Imagn Images

That made Gottlieb go into the portal where she's brought in five of USC's top scorers so far in 2025-2026. At the top of that list is a homegrown superstar in true freshman guard Jazzy Davidson. The No. 1 overall recruit in the 2025 class, women's basketball looks to have another star in the Oregon native who's leading the team in points (16.8), rebounds (6.7), assists (45), steals (24), and blocks (30). UCLA transfer Londynn Jones has been a key veteran addition with her 12.4 PPG off the bench, making a difference. All-ACC First Team selection and Georgia Tech transfer Kara Dunn contributes over 11 points and five rebounds per game while leading the Trojans with a 38.8% mark from beyond the arc.

Transfers for depth have also played a big part in USC being ranked No. 17 despite the turbulent offseason. Lithuanian forward Gerda Raulušaityte (3.8 PPG, 3.9 RPG) and Auburn transfer Yakiya Milton (6-foot-5) bring plenty of height off the bench, while sophomore and Washington State transfer Dayana Mandes brings a well-balanced skillset off the bench.

For as much turnover as there was for USC over the offseason, Gottlieb continues to show why she's one of the top coaches in the country — and that's saying something with UCLA and Cori Close in her backyard. Unless the Trojans take home the national title, it'll be a season of "what if" for USC, which has still played well despite the massive hole left by Watkins' injury.

Davidson looks to be one of the sport's next great stars, and her duel with Nebraska's Britt Prince will be a fun storyline to watch. With losses to No. 1 UConn, No. 2 South Carolina, and No. 24 Notre Dame, this USC team appears to be more human than last year. The Huskers will need to make sure they don't get bullied in the rebounding battle, considering the height and depth at forward for USC, but NU has the players to match up in the back court.

Rest shouldn't be a factor as both will be coming off eight-day breaks, but with the home crowd behind them at Pinnacle Bank Arena, give me the Huskers to upset the Trojans and stay unbeaten.

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