USC Women's Basketball: Trojans Rise Near Top of New ESPN Preseason Power Rankings

Where will USC finish next season?

After a wildly successful season in 2023-24, the USC Trojans women's basketball team is looking to build even further. The Trojans reached the Elite Eight as a No.1 seed in the NCAA Tournament but fell short of their goal to win the title.

Now heading into the new year, the Trojans are out for redemption and have stacked the roster to give themselves even better chances. USC landed two stars in the transfer portal Kiki Iriafen out of Stanford and Talia von Oelhoffen from Oregon State to give them more firepower.

Heading into the new year, the Trojans are seen as one of the best teams in the country. They were ranked No. 2 overall by Charlie Creme of ESPN in a Way-Too-Early Power Rankings.

"Getting JuJu Watkins to stay home in Los Angeles and then allowing her to shine as a freshman was Lindsay Gottlieb's first big win at USC. It has hardly been her last. The Trojans won the final Pac-12 tournament and earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. This was all while toppling the recruiting world by securing the No. 1 class in the country, one that includes three players ranked in the top 20 by HoopGurlz. Then to cap it all off, Gottlieb won the transfer portal with former Pac-12 rivals Iriafen (Stanford) and von Oelhoffen (Oregon State) set to play at USC for their final seasons. Watkins, Iriafen and von Oelhoffen might be the best trio in the country. Throw 6-4 Rayah Marshall into the mix and that freshman class led by 6-1 wing Kennedy Smith, 5-9 guard Kayleigh Heckel and 5-11 guard Avery Howell and the Trojans are the biggest threat to South Carolina repeating as national champions."

USC brings back star guard JuJu Watkins to pair with their transfer additions, giving the Trojans a great chance to win the title. As long as health is on their side, the Trojans will be a force to deal with all season long.

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