3 toughest games for USC Lady Trojans in 2024-25 College basketball season

After a magical run, coach Lindsay Gottlieb and the USC Trojans will enter the 2024-25 season with greater possibilities. Southern California missed the Final Four mark last year, where it could have been face-to-face with former Iowa Hawkeye Caitlin Clark.

USC will face three teams listed in ESPN’s way-too-early rankings on the road and will host four teams in front of the home crowd. The Trojans are ranked second on the same list, behind coach Dawn Staley’s South Carolina Gamecocks.

With that, let's look at the three toughest matchups the Lady Trojans will face in the 2024-25 season.

Toughest games for Lady Trojans in the 2024-25 season

#3. Lady Trojans vs. Notre Dame - Nov. 23

The first part of the USC’s two-game series with longtime rivals Notre Dame will begin early this year. The home game will be their first matchup since 2011, despite the two schools regularly battling each other in other sports. Not only will the contest force fans to bring their A-game to the arena, but it will also pit USC star JuJu Watkins against a notable matchup, Hannah Hidalgo.

Notre Dame is coming off a strong 28-7 season and proceeding to the NCAA Sweet 16. The Cardinal and Gold's women are coming off leading the program to its best run this century.

#2. Home/Away series with the UCLA Bruins

UCLA is a constant matchup for Southern California to test its basketball program’s strength. The Trojans lost the home and away series against the Bruins in 2022-23 but managed to level it last year with Watkins in the lineup. They succumbed to a seven-point loss to close 2023 but bounced back to win a double OT thriller behind Watkins' 33 points.

USC will again face the Bruins twice this year as part of their home-and-road series.

#1. Lady Trojans vs. UConn Huskies - Dec. 21

Alongside several records, JuJu Watkins broke the freshman scoring record last season, making her the frontrunner to become the best women's basketball player. Paige Bueckers has already reached the mark and will be churning out her last college year this season. Moreover, adding more to Southern California's near-Christmas action with the Huskies is their latest matchup.

Bueckers lost the individual performance to Watkins in the 2024 NCAA Tournament. However, the Huskies defeated the Cardinal and Gold to end their 2023-24 year.