How to Watch USC Trojans vs. Oregon Ducks Basketball: Preview, Prediction

The No. 21 USC Trojans women's basketball team returns home searching for a response. After a humbling 34-point loss to UCLA, USC faces Oregon Ducks on Tuesday night with a chance to reset its Big Ten trajectory back at home where they are 7-1 this season, rather than let one night snowball into something larger.

How to Watch USC vs. Oregon

When: Jan. 6 at 7 p.m. PT

Where: Galen Center | Los Angeles, California

TV: Big Ten Network

USC Must Respond After the Embarrassment

USC Trojans guard Jazzy Davidson USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb Oregon Ducks guard Katie Fiso Big Ten basketball — Mar 8, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lindsay Gottlieb reacts to a foul called against her player while playing the women’s Michigan Wolverines for the Big Ten Conference Tournament semifinals at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Stephanie Amador Blondet-Imagn Images | Stephanie Amador Blondet-Imagn Images

There was no searching for silver linings. Following USC’s most lopsided loss in the rivalry in years, USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb delivered a blunt assessment of where her team fell short, one that now frames Tuesday night against Oregon as a necessary point of course correction rather than a routine bounce-back opportunity.

“Obviously, this is not where our team wants to be in a game like this," Gottlieb said in the postgame press conference. "I think our team feels it, everything from disappointment to embarrassment. But we own it, and they were a better team today. They were better by a lot.”

“We can also be very honest and say this is an embarrassing loss. We didn’t compete well.”

That honesty reflects a broader reality USC can no longer avoid. Without JuJu Watkins, the Trojans are not the same team against elite competition. Last season, with Watkins in the lineup, USC went 3-1 against top-25 opponents, including a regular-season-ending win over UCLA and finished conference play with just one loss, a February setback against Iowa.

This season tells a different story. USC already has four losses through 14 games (10-4 overall), is 3-3 against ranked opponents, and has dropped a game early in Big Ten play. Matching last year’s near-perfect conference run is unrealistic. The path now is about correction, not comparison.

The good news: the heaviest portion of USC’s ranked gauntlet is over. A home win against Oregon doesn’t erase UCLA, but it does mark the first real step toward righting the ship.

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Guard Play Has to Reignite USC’s Identity

If USC is going to reset, it starts with its guards rediscovering rhythm and aggression. Freshman star Jazzy Davidson was held to 10 points against UCLA, tied for her second-lowest scoring output of the season. The only lower games came in losses to No. 1 UConn (10 points) and No. 2 South Carolina (eight). Davidson also shot just 26.7 percent from the field, her second-worst mark of the season after consistently setting the tone offensively in previous weeks.

USC guard Londynn Jones has similarly cooled off since conference play began. Before Big Ten action, Jones exploded for 28 points in 23 minutes against Cal Poly. Since then, she has totaled just 26 points across USC’s last three games combined. The burst scoring that once bent defenses has been missing.

Then there’s Trojans guard Kennedy Smith, who appeared to be building momentum after a season-high 17 points and nine rebounds in the win over No. 20 Nebraska. That progress stalled against UCLA, where Smith was limited to seven points on 27 percent shooting.

USC doesn’t need all three guards to explode, but it does need them to reassert control. Pace, spacing, and downhill pressure have to return if the Trojans want to dictate games again.

Oregon’s Confidence Is Rising And the Threat Is Real

Oregon enters Los Angeles riding momentum. The Ducks are coming off a dominant 87-54 win over Northwestern, while their narrow double-overtime loss to Michigan closed out 2025 and reinforced how competitive this group has become.

The engine is sophomore guard Katie Fiso, who has elevated herself into one of the nation’s most improved players. Last season, Fiso played fewer than 10 minutes per game, averaging 3.1 points and under one assist. This year, she’s logging 30 minutes a night, averaging 15.3 points, 7.2 assists, and shooting 51 percent from the field. Oregon’s offense flows when she’s in command.

Alongside her, forward Mia Jacobs is proving that her Fresno State production translates to the Big Ten. Jacobs is averaging 14.5 points and 6.3 rebounds while posting career highs in field-goal percentage (47 percent) and three-point shooting (40.5 percent).

That guard-forward combination is dangerous. If Fiso controls tempo and Jacobs finds early rhythm, Oregon can stretch USC in ways UCLA already exposed. Slowing or disrupting those two is non-negotiable if the Trojans want to keep the Ducks in check.

USC vs. Oregon Prediction

The No. 21 USC Trojans will win at home 67-60 against the Oregon Ducks.