Did USC make women's March Madness Final Four? Taking a look at Trojans' performance in 2024 NCAA tournament

The USC Trojans officially ended their run in the women's March Madness following their 80-73 loss to the UConn Huskies, led by Paige Bueckers, in the Elite Eight round of the NCAA Tournament and missing out on the Final Four.

After a pedestrian year in 2022-23, the year-to-year growth, thanks in large part to the addition of JuJu Watkins is a massive sign of improvement for the Trojans squad.

Here's a look at their run in the 2024 NCAA Tournament.

Is USC still in March Madness?

No, they are not. The No. 1 USC team lost in the Elite Eight round to the No. 3 UConn team to end their tournament hopes.

It was a rough shooting night for the Trojans who finished the game shooting under 33% from the field, with their offensive rebounding keeping them in the game. Both McKenzie Forbes and JuJu Watkins had tidy stat lines, contributing 24 and 29 points, respectively.

But, shooting woes plagued the two of them as well. Watkins finished the game shooting 9-for-23, while Forbes was 7-for-21 on her end. On the other hand, Paige Bueckers lived up to her "Paige Buckets" moniker, dropping 28 points and 10 rebounds to guide UConn to their 15th Final Four in the last 16 years.

Meanwhile, Aaliyah Edwards joined the party for the Huskies with a 24-point outing. For USC, it was a rewarding season for head coach Lindsay Gottlieb and her women, who finished the year with a 29-6 record.

Last season, they had a 21-10 record, finishing fourth in the Pac-12 Conference, and were eliminated in the First Round immediately, falling to South Dakota State in overtime.

How did 2024 NCAA Tournament shape up for USC?

Their last season in the Pac-12 ended with a No. 2 finish and a victory in the Conference Tournament over Stanford, led by offseason additions JuJu Watkins and McKenzie Forbes.

Both were made by coach Gottlieb, who picked Watkins out of high school and Forbes from the transfer portal, after her time at Harvard. They were drafted as a No. 1, coming in with a 26-5 record in the 2024 NCAA Tournament.

They began their March Madness run with a dominant showing against Texas A&M - Corpus Christi, finishing with an 87-55 victory. The next two games, against Kansas in the second round and Baylor in the Sweet 16 were the JuJu Watkins show.

She ended the year with the most points by a freshman in NCAA history, compiling 28 points, 11 rebounds and five assists against Kansas in another 73-55 rout. Against Baylor, in a much tighter game, but she was just as dominant.

Finishing with 30 points and four assists, her play was crucial for the Women of Troy to edge out Baylor, 74-70.

Has USC ever won the NCAA Tournament?

The USC Trojans women's basketball team is among the most prestigious programs for women's basketball in the country. The team was the first to win back-to-back NCAA Tournament titles, winning the second and third-ever tournaments.

Boasting the likes of Paula McGee, Cheryl Miller and Rhonda Windham, the trio of All-Americans were dominant in their run to the titles, finishing with a 31-2 record in 1983 and 29-4 in 1984.

A few years later, still under head coach Linda Sharp, the team made it back to the NCAA Championship Round but lost to Texas in a 97-81 blowout. The team has not made it to the Championship Round, or even the Final Four since.

Since 1997, and before Lindsay Gottlieb took over in 2021, the team made it to the NCAA Tournament just 3 times, losing in the second round in back-to-back years under Mark Trakh in 2005 and 2006. Their other appearance, in 2014, saw them eliminated in the First Round itself.

With the likes of JuJu Watkins and McKenzie Forbes entering the program, under the expert stewardship of Lindsay Gottlieb, it seems like the program might be going through a renaissance, with their Elite Eight finish the highest in 30 years.

Do you think a title is on the horizon for the Women of Troy? Let us know in the comments below.