USC Women's Basketball Big Ten Schedule Becoming More Clear

The USC Trojans, with the return of top stars, enter the 2026-27 season as national championship contenders.

Mar 22, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; USC Trojans head coach Lindsay Gottlieb during the fourth quarter of an NCAA Tournament game against the UNC Greensboro Spartans at Galen Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images | Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images

Following a 2025-26 season that saw the USC Trojans women’s basketball team take a step back, finishing with an 18-14 overall record and going 9-9 in Big Ten play, their potential as a team couldn’t be more different for coach Lindsey Gottlieb’s group entering next year. 

With the return of the star guard JuJu Watkins from injury, sophomore phenom Jazzy Davidson, and the addition of talented freshman recruits, the Trojans enter the 2026-27 season as a national championship contender. 

Jan 29, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; USC Trojans forward Vivian Iwuchukwu (0), guard Jazzy Davidson (9) and guard Kara Dunn (25) celebrate after a basket in the second half against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Galen Center. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

On Monday, the Big Ten announced the conference's home and away opponents for the 2026-27 women's basketball season, and there are several games to look forward to as USC also aims to chase the conference crown. Here’s a look at who the Trojans conference opponents are at and away from the Galen Center, along with who they’ll match up against twice.

USC's Home Opponents Only

Oct 11, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; USC Trojans basketball player JuJu Watkins was on hand as she was named the tunnel captain the the game against the Michigan Wolverines at United Airlines Field at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

• Illinois Fighting Illini
• Northwestern Wildcats
• Michigan Wolverines
• Michigan State Spartans
• Ohio State Buckeyes
• Penn State Nittany Lions
• Minnesota Golden Gophers
• Nebraska Cornhuskers

The Trojans went 5-3 in home games at the Galen Center last season, and with the backcourt duo of Watkins and Davidson, USC looks to go undefeated at the Galen Center in the upcoming season. Of the eight Big Ten opponents that the Trojans are set to face at home next season, they went 3-5, with their three wins coming against Illinois, Northwestern, and Nebraska. 

USC's Away Opponents Only

University of Southern California forward Jazzy Davidson (9) Monday, March 23, 2026, during the first quarter NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament at Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, South Carolina. | Ken Ruinard / USA Today Network South Carolina / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

• Indiana Hoosiers
• Purdue Boilermakers
• Iowa Hawkeyes
• Wisconsin Badgers
• Maryland Terrapins
• Rutgers Scarlet Knights
• Washington Huskies 
• Oregon Ducks

USC struggled on the road in conference play, going 3-6. Winning on the road next season for the Trojans will be one of the team’s biggest keys in claiming the Big Ten crown in the regular season and earning a top seed in the conference tournament. 

One of USC’s major wins on the road last season came against the Nebraska Cornhuskers on Dec. 29, 2025, in which they won 74-66 in Lincoln. Some of USC’s toughest road tests next season will be against Oregon, Iowa, and Maryland, all teams that made the tournament last season. Of those three teams last season, the Trojans only beat one of them, knocking off the Iowa Hawkeyes 81-69 at the Galen Center on Jan. 29.  

Teams USC Plays Twice

The UCLA Bruins celebrate their 79-51 win over the South Carolina Gamecocks to claim the NCAA women's basketball national championship at Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix on April 5, 2026. | Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Many USC fans still have a bitter taste in their mouths over not only getting swept by their arch-rival UCLA last season, but watching the Bruins go on to win their first NCAA national championship in program history. 

The Bruins are set to be the only team on USC’s schedule that the Trojans will face twice, and revenge will certainly be on their minds. In the season that Watkins last played for the Trojans, USC swept the Bruins before losing to them in the Big Ten championship game. 

Next season, USC looks to return to its dominance against its crosstown rival as all the top players from UCLA’s national championship squad will have departed from Los Angeles.

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