Lindsay Gottlieb wanted her team to be tested by the best. That's why she put together one of the most grueling schedules in all of college basketball, with four games against teams currently ranked in the top four. But with three of those tests completed, the results haven't exactly been what she - or anyone else - would have hoped.
It was a struggle all the way, but USC men's basketball continued its hot start with a 68-61 nonconference victory over Washington State on Sunday at Galen Center. The Trojans (10-1) led by three with five minutes remaining, but outscored the visitors 13-9 down the stretch to notch their second straight win. Jacob Cofie led the way with 21 points and 10 rebounds and Chad Baker-Mazara added 19 points, six rebounds and five assists.
When USC and Connecticut met in the Elite Eight, in the immediate wake of JuJu Watkins ' devastating knee injury last March, it didn't take long to see how much USC missed its superstar. As hard as the Trojans fought, the Huskies were simply too much to handle without Watkins. That thought, nine months later, hadn't been given much serious credence at USC through a solid 7-2 start.
The USC women's basketball team earned a commanding 79-33 win over Saint Mary's at Galen Center on Tuesday night. A small, but enthusiastic crowd cheered for the defense any time the Trojans forced a turnover. USC (6-2) held the Gaels (5-4) to under 30% shooting in the paint and 15% from the three-point line. Sophomore Kennedy Smith added 15 points and five rebounds.
Along the West Bank of the Mississippi, directly across the way from downtown New Orleans, there's a levee that rises up beside the riverbank. At the top, about 40 feet up a steep, grassy hill, the skyline of the French Quarter unfurls into clear view over the river. To run up the levee and gaze upon that view of downtown was something of a rite of passage for kids in the neighborhood. But to the boys trained by Clyde Alexander, it was sacred ground.
"These last few months have been filled with a lot of healing, rest, and reflection," Watkins posted to her Instagram story. "Recovering from this injury hasn't been easy, and I want to say thank you -- your love, support, and kind words have truly lifted me up during one of the most challenging times in my life. "Because you've been with me every step of the way, I wanted you to hear it from me directly that following the advice of my doctors and trainers, I will sit out this season and fully focus on continuing to recover so I can come back to the game I love."
College football teams across the country are far from finished products this season, but the first weeks of the 2025 slate are already giving them a better sense of who they are -- for better or worse. At the same time, coaching staffs face the delicate balancing act of winning today and looking ahead, knowing some of the answers to weaknesses with their current rosters might come from the 2026 class and beyond.
