The best teams and athletes want to be challenged by the best opponents. USC women’s basketball has all the appearances of an elite team in college hoops. Accordingly, coach Lindsay Gottlieb has constructed a top-notch nonconference schedule for the 2024-2025 season. That nonconference slate, combined with the Big Ten Conference schedule, gives USC one of the toughest schedules in the country for the coming campaign.
The Trojans, who are ranked No. 3 in the preseason Associated Press Poll, are one of the favorites to make the 2025 Women’s Final Four in Tampa on April 4 and 6. USC reached its first Elite Eight since 1994 last season. This season is “Final Four or bust” for the Women of Troy, and there’s no reason to shy away from those expectations. If a team wants to be Final Four-worthy, it might as well start playing Final Four contenders.
How tough is USC’s schedule? The Trojans will play four games against teams ranked in the top six of the preseason AP Poll. USC plays No. 2 UConn in December. The Trojans face No. 6 Notre Dame in November. USC will play No. 5 UCLA twice in the Big Ten. In nonconference play and in the Big Ten, USC will go up against the very best in college basketball. If these tests make USC better and help the Trojans reach the Final Four, the scheduling philosophy used by Lindsay Gottlieb will have been worth it.
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