Jazzy Davidson and USC women face tough NCAA | College News
After an up-and-down season without its injured celebrity, USC still managed to make it back to the NCAA match. But its path gained’t get any smoother from right here.
The Trojans clinched a berth for the fourth straight season on Sunday. They’ll be a No. 9 seed, set to face No. 8-seed Clemson in Columbia, S.C., on Saturday.
While the Trojans may have to journey across the nation to take on Clemson, the Tigers will only have a two-hour drive from their campus.
“We won’t have the home-court advantage, obviously,” USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb said. “But we’ll bring our West Coast juice. We’ll bring our energy. And I think we’ll see the best version of ourselves.”
A win in that recreation would set up a rematch in Columbia with No. 1-seed South Carolina, who beat the Trojans handily when they met in November.
History gained’t be on the Trojans’ aspect in that matchup, either. Only twice in the last 15 years has a No. 8 or No. 9 seed in the women’s match upset a No. 1.
But USC isn’t a run-of-the-mill ninth seed, either. The Trojans performed one of the nation’s hardest schedules, with 15 video games against groups seeded larger than them in the match. Four of those had been against No. 1 seeds, all losses.
“We intentionally put ourselves in the situation to play the best teams out there because that’s what we want to be ready for,” Gottlieb said. “We’re not afraid of really good teams.”
Just a yr in the past, USC entered March as one of the favorites to win the national title. But then JuJu Watkins injured her knee in the second spherical. The injury pressured her to sit out your entire season, throwing a severe wrench in USC’s plans for the 2025-26 season.
The Trojans relied on another dazzling younger expertise, Jazzy Davidson, to carry them to March instead. And Davidson delivered, main the Trojans in factors (17.6), rebounds (5.6), assists (4.2), blocks (2) and steals (2). She was even named Big Ten freshman of the yr.
USC opened the season 10-3, with two of those losses coming against two No. 1 seeds, Connecticut and South Carolina. But the remainder of the Big Ten season would show to be a irritating affair. The Trojans misplaced six of seven, before bouncing back to win six straight. They in the end ended the common season on a four-game dropping streak, stumbling their manner to a one-and-done end in the Big Ten match.
But that winding path no longer mattered as of Sunday. USC made the NCAA match, in spite of every part working against it.
Now, with its slate clean, the Trojans had a new rallying cry forward of the match.
“Be the team,” guard Kara Dunn said, “that someone else doesn’t want to play.”
Stay up to date with the latest news in school basketball! Our web site is your go-to source for cutting-edge school basketball news, recreation highlights, participant stats, and insights into upcoming matchups. We present daily updates to guarantee you have got access to the freshest info on group rankings, recreation outcomes, injury stories, and major bulletins.
Explore how these trends are shaping the future of the game! Visit us commonly for the most partaking and informative school basketball content by clicking right here. Our fastidiously curated articles will keep you informed on match brackets, convention championships, teaching adjustments, and historic moments on the court.
