The first week of the women’s college basketball season was one worth waiting for and now into Week 2, there are plenty of storylines to be excited about. To get this roundtable started, our staff ponders USC’s surprising start. In an exciting 69–68 win over NC State on Sunday, the Trojans—who jumped up to 10 spots to No. 8 in the AP poll this week—showed that there is no shortage of playmakers on their JuJu Watkins–less roster.
How long will this hot start last? USC will get a true test this week when it takes on No. 2 South Carolina on Saturday night.
Can USC seriously contend without JuJu Watkins?
Emma Baccellieri: Contend? Yes. Seriously? We’ll see. (And we’ll have a chance to see pretty quickly: I love that coach Lindsay Gottlieb was open to such a tough early slate, with USC’s season opener against NC State soon to be followed by games against South Carolina, Notre Dame and UConn.) I believe this roster is better than some may have expected, highlighted in that opening win anchored by, of course, freshman standout Jazzy Edwards. Her performance against the Wolfpack was a perfect display of not just her scoring ability but of how much else she can do. (My favorite part of that box score was her five blocks.) But the lack of post depth here leaves me a little uneasy about expecting too much for USC—especially against teams with a notable size difference. One thing I’ll be watching? How Gottlieb continues to deploy senior transfer Londynn Jones. The guard was a starter over her last two years at UCLA but has come off the bench in her two games so far at USC. I think I like that role for a shooter who has not always been the most consistent but can provide a serious spark.
Dan Falkenheim: Not yet. The Trojans did look dangerous with Jones hitting shots—maybe NC State shouldn’t have gone under against her as much?—and Davidson finding her game. They did also win with Georgia Tech transfer Kara Dunn in foul trouble. So, what’s not to love? Like Emma, I’m worried about the frontcourt, which doesn’t have a clear standing player after losing forwards Kiki Iriafen and Rayah Marshall to the WNBA draft. That could be a problem when the Trojans play against players like Lauren Betts, Sarah Strong and Joyce Edwards, who are on contending teams. USC will need to find consistent three-point shooting and more efficient offense, too.
Clare Brennan: As Dan and Emma laid out, there is a lot to be excited about with this USC team, namely freshman sensation Davison. She lit up the stat sheet against NC State, putting up 21 points, five blocks, four rebounds, four assists and three steals. Her fingerprints were all over the game, with her perimeter defense helping to stifle the Wolfpack. Still, Watkins’s absence was felt with NC State outrebounding USC, 54–40. Gottlieb’s team is brimming with potential, and will likely be fun to watch, but true title contention would be a big ask for this group, which is still working out its identity. Saturday’s game against South Carolina will be telling in how far off the Trojans are from the nation’s top teams.
Transfer of the week: Gianna Kneepkens
Gianna Kneepkens is proving why she was one of the most sought-after players in the transfer portal this offseason, making an immediate impact in her first games with UCLA after four seasons at Utah. The seasoned guard scored 20 points on 8-for-14 shooting to help No. 3 UCLA down No. 6 Oklahoma, 73–59, on Monday night. Down low, the highly anticipated matchup between Bruins star Lauren Betts and Sooners big Raegen Beers was a gritty affair, with Betts netting nine points, seven turnovers, 10 rebounds and four blocks. In comparison, Beers finished the night with seven points and 14 rebounds.
UCLA coach Cori Close has been emphasizing the importance of selflessness and sharing the wealth on this deep Bruins squad. “Gianna will tell you that it’s not been easy to all of a sudden play with all of these great players … and that has taken time to figure out, and I think we’re still figuring it out. But I think it’s undeniable the potential of how that can grow and play together as long as we keep that selflessness and humility at the same time,” Close said after UCLA’s Nov. 6 blowout of UCSB, when Kneepkens also scored 20 points.
The Bruins won’t have much rest, with UCLA’s next test a Thursday night matchup against No. 11 UNC. We will see who has the hot hand against the Tar Heels, because, as Close says, “We definitely have different people every night who can step up.” —Brennan
OH MY GOODNESS GIANNA KNEEPKENS 🤯#NCAAWBB x 🎥 FS1 / @UCLAWBB pic.twitter.com/Xp9oY1gODt
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessWBB) November 11, 2025
Rise and fall of the week: Baylor and Duke
Just one week into things, it’s hard for any squad to rise or fall too much, so our picks here are centered on the two sides of then No. 16 Baylor toppling No. 7 Duke, 58–52, to open the season last Tuesday.
Baylor: With just one Sweet 16 appearance and no Big 12 tournament title in the previous four seasons, Nicki Collen hadn’t produced the results Bears fans had come to expect under her predecessor. But nothing puts doubts at arm’s length like a win over a top-10 opponent—Baylor’s first since December 2023—and early answers to important questions. Auburn transfer guard Taliah Scott, who scored 24 points in the Bears’ upset, looks like the true primary scorer that Baylor has lacked. Senior guard/forward Darianna Littlepage-Buggs has been tenacious on the glass, and Baylor showed grit in closing out Duke. Those are all reasons for optimism, as well as essential ingredients come tournament time. As for the Blue Devils… —Falkenheim
Duke: Yes, Duke was playing only seven deep against Baylor, missing both Emilee Skinner and Arianna Roberson. (No timeline has been announced for the return of either.) But even with that (notable) caveat, Duke’s loss to Baylor still felt like an important display of the weaknesses for this group. The Blue Devils favor a slow, grinding pace that can be a nuisance for opponents and turn any game into a defensive slog. But that only carries them so far if their opponent figures out how to adjust to that tempo: Baylor pulled off the upset by outscoring Duke in the second half, 29–19. And if shots aren’t falling for the Blue Devils, as was the case in the fourth quarter, their pace gives them limited opportunities to reset the offense and explore different ways to score. Duke should be much better with Skinner’s playmaking and Roberson’s size inside. But there are still fair questions about how this squad will look as the season goes on. —Baccellieri
Moment of the week: UConn banner raising
UConn unveiled its 2025 national championship banner (the 12th in program history) ahead of its game against FSU on Sunday. The Huskies went on to beat the Seminoles, 99–67.
Banner No. 12 is officially in the Gampel rafters pic.twitter.com/qedtC0qulU
— UConn Women’s Basketball (@UConnWBB) November 10, 2025
The Huskies, now 2–0, have picked up right where they left off in the tournament. After beating Louisville, 79–66, in their opener last week, even former star Paige Bueckers was tempted to jump back in.
More College Basketball on Sports Illustrated
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Women’s Hoops Weekly Roundtable: Is USC a Serious Contender? .
