The No. 17 USC women’s basketball team will have played three of the nation’s five best women’s basketball teams after Saturday night.
The Trojans will take on crosstown rival No. 4 UCLA on Saturday for the first time this season, after previously playing No. 1 UConn and No. 3 South Carolina in the nonconference season.
“We’re prepared for the hard-fought battles, the competitiveness,” Trojans sophomore guard Kennedy Smith told reporters. “We’re made for it. We’re just here for the moment, taking on the challenge. We’re here for it and we’re going to step up to that level as well.”
USC (10-3 overall, 2-0 Big Ten) has some momentum after handing No. 20 Nebraska its first loss of the season. The Trojans beat the Cornhuskers 74-66, making them the first team to hold the Huskers to less than 80 points this season.
The offensive challenges will keep rolling with UCLA (13-0, 3-0), which has the fourth-best scoring offense in the Big Ten at 87.9 points per game while beating opponents by an average of 30.8 points.
“I think we have a really good defensive team,” USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb said after beating Nebraska. “I think we have good individual defenders who take pride in it and we really worked this week on our team defense.
“I’m trying to get our players to understand that in a 40-minute game, there’s a lot of lives. There’s a lot of runs and momentum.”
Freshman guard Jazzy Davidson has been USC’s best all-around player this season, especially on defense. She leads the conference in blocks with 2.7 per game and grabs an average of 5.4 defensive rebounds.
Davidson left the Nebraska game twice with what appeared to be an injury, but Gottlieb clarified after the game that it was a cramp in her calf. Davidson still managed to play 32 minutes and scored 17 points, which tied her with Smith for the team high in scoring.
“I felt like in every single huddle that we were having that everyone stayed calm, stayed grounded,” senior guard Kara Dunn said, “even though we were having to switch and make sure that we found the flow from our defense. We were switching offensive players in and out.”
If USC wants to beat UCLA, it’ll have to first get through 6-foot-7 center Lauren Betts, who is averaging 16.2 points and 8.1 rebounds each game.
The Bruins’ size isn’t limited to Betts, either. The average height of the team is 6-2.
Londynn Jones, who got her second start of the season against Nebraska, could be the difference-maker when the Trojans head to Westwood.
Although Jones is 5-foot-4, her defensive tenacity shows against opposing players, following them closely and reading opportunities for steals. The fact that she is a UCLA transfer also adds another layer to this game.
Jones is also shooting 44.7% from the field. Her 13 third-quarter points – including three straight 3-pointers – were pivotal in getting the Trojans past Nebraska.
“Londynn went on a heater, which was incredible for us,” Gottlieb said, “and I think we just fed off of that.”
No. 17 USC (10-3 overall, 2-0 Big Ten) at No. 4 UCLA (13-1, 3-0)
When: 5 p.m. Saturday
Where: Pauley Pavilion
TV/Radio: Peacock/ESPN LA 710