USC women’s basketball must prove something this year which goes beyond wins and losses

The USC women’s basketball team will start their 2025-26 season in about a week and a half against New Mexico State without JuJu Watkins, and I am nervous.

But not about the basketball side of things. This is a very talented USC team. Kennedy Smith, Kara Dunn, Londynn Jones and the squad are going to put on a show at Galen Center all season long. Jazzy Davidson, the No. 1 freshman in the country, is another unique, easy to like, marketable superstar who will be just as ready for the NCAA level as Watkins was a few short years ago. There is going to be some more incredible women’s basketball in Galen Center this season.

USC fans need to bring it

I am nervous about the fan support. I remember being in the stands just a few years ago, in 2022-23, before JuJu Watkins stepped foot on campus. USC had a scrappy team that took down giants and made the NCAA tournament. Few people were there to see it in person.

Then JuJu Watkins started making well-publicized history as a freshman in 2023-24, and the place was suddenly packed.

The USC program, and collegiate women’s basketball in general, has come a long way since 2022-23. And this Trojan team is more talented than that group, no disrespect to Kadi Sissoko, Okako Adika, Destiny Littleton, Taylor Bigby, Kayla Williams, Alyson Miura and the crew, love you guys and will never forget that squad.

Rapid program growth

But JuJu Watkins had such a massive impact on USC’s growth as a singular force that I worry some Trojan fans will sit out this year, check the box scores from time to time, and save their ticket money for when Watkins returns in 2026. I know the diehards will be there, and the diehard contingent is bigger than ever, but will the students, celebrities and casual LA sports fans fill the rest of the seats?

You may ask, so what? What’s one down year in a general recent trend of incredible fan support?

Fan culture matters

Well, fan culture will factor heavily into the sustainability of this program. Right now, everyone wants to play with JuJu Watkins and the thousands of fans she has drawn to the Galen Center. But the fanbase needs to prove that it isn’t just JuJu fans — they are fans of this program who will stick around long after she graduates. USC women’s basketball could do a lot to change the narrative about lukewarm Los Angeles fans and the supposedly solely star-driven nature of women’s basketball fandom with good attendance this season.

What star women’s basketball player wouldn’t want to play in Los Angeles if they can count on the most diehard fan base in all of Southern California no matter what?

USC bonus segment on YouTube (subscription required)

Matt Zemek and I talked about this in a bonus segment on our USC channel at The Voice of College…Basketball?! (Football) alongside USC super fan Crash “Crash Lit” Collier, so definitely check that out. Join the USC channel as a member. Join at the middle (Heisman) or top (National Champion) tier to get this and other “bonus cuts” on a continuous basis. We have seven bonus videos created in the past six weeks for members to enjoy.

Here’s why I think the casual USC women’s basketball fan could — and should — still make a trail to Galen Center this season.

The stars will still be out

Los Angeles is a city that runs on stars, especially in sports. Luka Doncic, LeBron James, Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, Anze Kopitar, Adrian Kempe, Drew Doughty, Puka Nacua, Matthew Stafford, Justin Herbert, Makai Lemon, Ja’Kobi Lane, Nico Iamaleava, James Harden, Kawhi Leonard, Bradley Beal, on and on and on.

That’s a big reason why Watkins’ absence concerns me. But rest assured, USC women’s basketball will still have their share of star power in 2025.

Kennedy Smith is going to be one of the best two-way players in the country. Jazzy Davidson is another freshman who arrives in Los Angeles with an iconic nickname, a deadly offensive skillset and a fearless attitude. And Kara Dunn’s scoring volume may mean the Trojans have the best backcourt in the country even WITHOUT Watkins.

Yes, it’s like that! Don’t miss out.

Underdogs are fun

The best time to be a fan of any sports team is when they are winning championships.

But when everyone has written your team off and they beat up on teams that are supposed to be better than them…that brings a different kind of fun.

Let’s go back to that 2022-23 season for a second. The best moment of that season, which I had the privilege of witnessing in person, was when unranked USC took down No. 2 ranked Stanford, with stars such as Haley Jones and Cameron Brink, in one of the biggest upsets in USC history.

There are plenty of big time matchups for USC in 2025-26 that without Watkins, they will not be favored in. South Carolina is coming to the Crypto.com Arena, top-ranked UConn is coming to Galen Center, and so are Maryland and UCLA. That’s all 3 of the preseason top 3 teams in the AP Poll, and Maryland is ranked ahead of USC as well.

USC may not win all of those games. But you’re going to want to be in the building just to see them try. If they win, it will be a sight to behold.

Opposing stars

Which leads directly into my next point. In addition to plenty of starpower remaining at USC, there will be plenty of starpower on the opposing bench.

One of the reasons I went to Stanford-USC a few years back was to see Brink and Jones, the former national champions and future top WNBA prospects, up close. It’s always enjoyable to watch greatness, even if they’re not wearing your team’s jersey.

Trojan fans can expect to see the biggest stars in the game in Los Angeles this season, such as Lauren Betts, Sarah Strong, Azzi Fudd, Ta’Niya Latson, Hannah Steulke, and Addie Deal.

Oh and by the way, former Trojans Avery Howell (Washington) and Kayleigh Heckel (UConn) will both return to Galen Center this season.

Why wouldn’t you want to see the Trojans take on the best of the best future WNBA stars?

Lindsay Gottlieb’s culture of family friendliness

Going to a USC women’s basketball game is just flat out fun for all ages. That is because of a conscious effort by Lindsay Gottlieb and the rest of the program.

There are so many fun promotions and giveaways, the players love to sign autographs, and they always thank the fans for coming.

They even had a Christmas game last season where the players personally handed out free toys to every kid in attendance.

That is certainly going to continue and because of that, so many USC fan parents will want to bring their kids out to Galen.

It means something bigger

Supporting women’s sports for the long haul during a time when it is finally getting the recognition it deserves should mean something to people.

This is not like college football, where long lasting popularity has already been achieved. A single season of apathy because the losses are piling up won’t kill college football.

Supporting women’s basketball is so much bigger than grabbing your Galen Center popcorn and hoping to see a win. It’s about telling these women that they matter, not just because they are listed on the same roster as JuJu Watkins, but as individuals who have incredible talent in their own right.

I believe that USC fans know all of this, and will show up. I certainly will. But the fanbase still needs to prove it to the rest of the world.

Let’s get to work.

This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: USC women’s basketball team faces unknown world without JuJu Watkins

Source link