While we are smack in the middle of college football season, the start of college basketball season is less than two weeks away. On Wednesday, the preseason women’s basketball USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll was released. Lindsay Gottlieb and USC came in at No. 16 in the initial rankings.
The Trojans are one of four Big Ten teams in the preseason top 25. In addition to USC, the conference has No. 4 UCLA, No. 10 Maryland, No. 15 Michigan, No. 23 Iowa, and No. 24 Ohio State.
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Of course, much of the Trojans’ ranking is due to the fact that USC will be without superstar Juju Watkins for the entire 2025-2026 season. Watkins suffered an ACL injury during last season’s NCAA Tournament. Unfortunately the injury not only ended her season, but will keep her out for all of the following year as well.
Without Watkins, the Trojans will turn to a young group led by sophomore Kennedy Smith. Even without their superstar, USC still has more than enough talent to be an NCAA Tournament team and a Big Ten contender.
The Women of Troy will open their 2025-2026 campaign at Galen Center on November 4 against New Mexico State.
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: USC women’s basketball ranked No. 16 in USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll
