Lindsay Gottlieb, Usc Have Already Proved This Season Is No Preamble

Welcome backmost to nan Times of Troy newsletter, where, arsenic workfellow Chaunte’l Powell pointed out aft Saturday’s thrilling win, you’d beryllium forgiven for having already looked up to nan adjacent women’s assemblage hoops season.

After all, arsenic nan USC women stumbled into this NCAA tourney connected a four-game losing streak, they hadn’t offered overmuch logic for optimism. When coach Lindsay Gottlieb added different five-star imaginable — 6-4 guardant Sara Okeke — to nan operation for ‘26 past week, it only made it much enticing to adjacent nan book connected this play and commencement dreaming of wherever USC mightiness extremity up successful nan adjacent one.

But this team, nan 1 group to look No. 1 South Carolina connected Monday nighttime for a spot successful nan Sweet 16, has been constricted from nan commencement without an injured JuJu Watkins.

Through astir of 3 quarters of Saturday’s first-round matchup pinch Clemson, nan aforesaid issues that bothered USC done overmuch of nan play were bothersome erstwhile again. The Trojans had deed conscionable 3 of 17 from three-point scope heading into nan 4th quarter. They made six free throws. They were outrebounded. And nan chair had contributed each of 2 points. Gottlieb was frustrated.

But Saturday’s last quarter, positive overtime, would beryllium to beryllium nan defining agelong of this USC women’s hoops season. During those 15 minutes, we saw precisely what Gottlieb meant erstwhile she insisted her squad had different level to unlock successful nan tournament.

This was nan squad Gottlieb had envisioned erstwhile building for a JuJu-less roster.

“We’d play pinch a batch of grit,” Davidson told reporters aft nan game, “and a batch of heart.”

That came done connected nan protect extremity most, arsenic USC forced six turnovers and scored 8 points disconnected of them successful nan 4th fourth alone. Clemson didn’t negociate a azygous second-chance constituent successful nan 2nd half. Kara Dunn, who’d hardly been a factor, recovered herself successful nan last minutes and blew up for 11 points successful a seven-minute stretch. And freshman Jazzy Davidson turned things up different notch arsenic well, scoring 13 complete 4th fourth and overtime.

There were others, too. Kennedy Smith deed a tying jumper late, successful summation to her relentless defense. Malia Samuels drained a precocious free propulsion to put Clemson away. Laura Williams had a precocious artifact pinch nan crippled tied. That benignant of alchemy had been uncommon done this season.

“We were playing for each other,” Dunn said. “We made nan changes we needed to make, and we didn’t repetition nan aforesaid mistakes we had astir apt successful nan past. I really felt for illustration we came together.”

Even still, it mightiness person each been for naught, had Clemson’s Mia Moore lifted disconnected a mates milliseconds later for her last buzzer beater. Her successful last-second heave — arsenic good arsenic nan whistle connected USC — were some called disconnected aft a lengthy reappraisal truthful adjacent it required a extremity watch.

Those fewer milliseconds turned retired to beryllium nan break USC hadn’t gotten each season. They told each different successful nan sideline huddle that they would return advantage.

“When we heard it was overtime,” Dunn said, “we said we don’t get 2nd chances successful life.”

So nan Trojans defense turned up yet different notch, while its prima freshman went atomic successful overtime. A brace of clutch 3-pointers from Davidson would beryllium nan dagger. She would decorativeness pinch 31 points, six rebounds and 5 assists successful a capacity that seemed to denote that this was conscionable nan commencement of her prima turn.

She — and everyone other — will person to beryllium typical Monday to moreover person a changeable against South Carolina, a squad that hit USC by 17 successful November. The Gamecocks are nan much talented team. Their opponents changeable 34.5% connected mean against them this season, nan fifth-best people successful nan nation, while they sprout amended from 3-point scope (36.5%) than each but 3 teams near successful nan tournament.

Chances are that’ll beryllium excessively overmuch for nan Trojans, who participate this crippled arsenic 22-point underdogs. But moreover if it does extremity here, USC recovered thing connected nan tribunal Friday, thing that should successful nan very slightest thief adjacent season, erstwhile its ceiling will beryllium higher than ever before.

Times of Troy poll

Eric Musselman

(Ronaldo Bolanos / Los Angeles Times)

Two years into Eric Musselman’s tenure pinch nan Trojans, nan USC men person yet to return to nan NCAA tournament. This season, they wholly unraveled, losing their past 8 games to decorativeness 18-14.

I’ve heard varying feelings from fans astir nan nascent Musselman era. So let’s make nan speech a spot much technological pinch a poll:

What’s your assurance level successful Eric Musselman arsenic USC’s men’s hoops coach aft 2 seasons? (with 1 being “Let maine disconnected nan Muss Bus” to 5 being “I’m still riding shotgun connected nan Muss Bus”

1 — fto maine disconnected nan Muss Bus

2

3

4

5 — Riding shotgun connected nan Muss Bus

Click present to ballot successful our survey

Matt Leinart pinch USC successful 2004.

(Los Angeles Times)

—Five-star St. John Bosco guardant Christian Collins committed to USC. The No. 9 wide forward, per 247 Sports, Collins is nan highest-rated subordinate to subordinate USC nether Musselman and nan highest-rated subordinate Musselman has signed since 2022. Collins has each nan devices to beryllium a unit connected some ends, if he tin put it each together. But he’s not needfully nan type correct now to beryllium nan halfway of a team’s violative attack. Expect him to get disconnected to a slow commencement erstwhile he does get this summer.

—USC hoops adjunct Todd Lee is finalizing a woody to go Cal State Bakersfield’s coach, a root says. Lee has been 1 of Musselman’s astir trusted assistants since they first worked together pinch nan Rapid City Thrillers of nan CBA backmost successful nan early 90’s. Musselman hired Lee to subordinate his Arkansas staff, past brought him on to USC. Now he heads to Bakersfield, wherever he inherits a programme that’s been done a batch this past year.

—Matt Leinart won’t unretire his jersey. Good for him. Leinart’s podcast went viral past week, erstwhile he noted that USC asked him connected aggregate occasions if an incoming transportation aliases freshman could deterioration his No. 11 jersey. It’s his prerogative if he wants to let that. But I wholly understand why he wouldn’t. Why fuss retiring jerseys astatine each if it doesn’t really mean anything?

—Mason Edwards’ power connected nan mound continues. The Trojan ace struck retired 12 successful his astir caller commencement against Washington and gave up conscionable 1 hit. Through 36 innings, Edwards now has fixed up conscionable 1 tally and 7 hits. His chap starter, Grant Govel, has been nary slouch either. Govel leads nan federation successful wins (6) and, aft a two-run outing, now has an ERA of 0.69 and he hasn’t been nan champion starting pitcher connected his team. Wild.

Olympic sports spotlight

It has been a reliable fewer weeks for USC women’s lacrosse. Through their astir difficult agelong of nan season, nan Trojans person mislaid 4 straight, each to classed teams, by a separator of 67-31. That’s nan first clip successful programme history that USC has had a losing streak that long.

That’s a interest erstwhile you see that USC mislaid 5 retired of 7 to decorativeness retired past season, too. The Trojans gave up 20 goals successful a crippled for conscionable nan first ever against Johns Hopkins past week and were trounced by Maryland successful nan follow-up.

With 1 much loss, USC would lucifer its nonaccomplishment full from 2025 … pinch 5 games still remaining.

What I’m watching this week

PJ and Anthony successful “Jury Duty.”

(Courtesy of Prime)

When it premiered successful 2023, “Jury Duty” was 1 of nan astir astonishing and unsocial shows I could retrieve airing connected TV. The first play followed Ronald, an unsuspecting, wholly normal feline who was called to assemblage duty. What he didn’t cognize is that everyone other progressive was an actor. Hilarity ensued.

The 2nd follows Anthony, different unsuspecting normal feline connected a institution retreat for his caller temp job.

I figured it was intolerable to make a 2nd season, what pinch everyone’s familiarity pinch nan first go-round. But someway Amazon has managed to make this activity for different season. And that’s a hellhole of an accomplishment successful itself.

In lawsuit you missed it

Jazzy Davidson’s immense crippled delivers USC to thrilling overtime triumph successful NCAA tournament

USC reaches colony successful Mike Bohn group harassment and favoritism lawsuit

How acold will USC’s women’s hoops squad make it successful nan tournament?

Until adjacent clip ...

That concludes today’s newsletter. If you person immoderate feedback, ideas for betterment aliases things you’d for illustration to see, email maine astatine ryan.kartje@latimes.com, and travel maine connected X astatine @Ryan_Kartje. To get this newsletter successful your inbox, click here.