USC Trojans vs. Rutgers Scarlet Knights Women's Basketball: Preview, Prediction, TV Channel

The No. 4 USC Trojans women’s basketball team is 13-1, 3-0 in Big Ten conference play. The Trojans are coming off a dominant performance, defeating the Nebraska Cornhuskers by 20 points. The Women of Troy will face the 8-6 Rutgers Scarlet Knights on Jan. 5.

How to Watch:

The USC Trojans women’s basketball team will open against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at 5 p.m. PT on Sunday at Jersey Mike's Arena in Piscataway, New Jersey. The game broadcast will be on the Big Ten Network.

USC Trojans Lindsay Gottlieb — Dec 21, 2024; Hartford, Connecticut, USA; USC Trojans head coach Lindsay Gottlieb talks to the official from the sideline as they take on the UConn Huskies at XL Center. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images | David Butler II-Imagn Images

USC vs. Rutgers Preview:

The USC Trojans are coming off a dominant performance where they beat the Nebraska Cornhuskers, 75-55. USC guard JuJu Watkins led the team in scoring with 26 points. Though USC won by 20 points, in the first half it looked like it would be a close game. USC led at the half but by just five points. In the second half, USC ran away with the game.

After the game, USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb spoke about the team’s performance, paying respect to the Big Ten conference.

“We’re learning this conference. But it’s pretty clear that there’s a lot of NCAA tournament quality teams. We have to approach each game that way since it’s all new to us,” Gottlieb said. “I thought we responded really well at halftime and were a lot better defensively, particularly in the second half and made a really good team struggle a little bit on that end.”

The Trojans will have to travel to the East Coast to face Rutgers, then have another challenging matchup right after against Maryland. Gottlieb spoke about preparing for both games, starting with the Scarlet Knights.

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“Conference championships are often won on road games. At any point, it’s difficult to win on the road. We know that we have to bring just sort of our best effort, a connectedness, a togetherness, I heard Rutgers is either sold out or nearly sold out. We know we’re going to have big crowds on the road,” Gottlieb said.

The Rutgers women’s basketball team is 8-6, 0-3 in Big Ten conference play. They are coming off two straight losses, and looking to get the team back on the right track. Despite the struggling season, Rutgers guard Kiyomi McMiller is just a freshman, leading the team with 19.9 points and 3.2 assists per game. Senior guard Destiny Adams leads the team with 10.1 rebounds and 1.9 steals per game. Adams averages 18.1 points per game, and the Trojans will have to step up on defense early to prevent McMiller and Adams two from gaining momentum early.

“We’re never going to be perfect, nobody’s perfect, but you need to pack with you on a road trip a kind of tenacity and togetherness that no one can take away," continued Gottlieb. "But we know this is a big road trip. It’s far but also it’s two really talented teams and we’ll get the team as ready as possible."

The Trojans are 2-5 against the Scarlet Knights with their first meeting dating back to 1980. The last time the two faced off was in 2009 when Rutgers defeated the Trojans 66-51.

USC Rayah Marshall — Dec 29, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans center Rayah Marshall (13) battles for the ball with Michigan Wolverines guard Brooke Daniels (5) and Michigan Wolverines guard Greta Kampschroeder (11) in the second half at Galen Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

USC vs. Rutgers Prediction:

The USC Trojans will keep their momentum and defeat the Rutgers Scarlet Knights, 80-62.

After USC’s game against Rutgers, the Trojans will face the No.8 Maryland Terrapins on Jan. 8 at Xfinity Center.

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