On Monday, USC women’s basketball’s 2025-2026 season came to an end in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The Trojans were blown out 101-61 by No. 1 seed South Carolina, bringing their year to a close.
Overall, it was a bit of a frustrating season for USC. The Trojans were a very young team that showed flashes of potential at times, but were clearly not on the same level as the top teams in the country.
Of course, the outlook for this season changed drastically last fall, when it was announced that superstar Juju Watkins would miss the entire year. Without Watkins, USC was a completely different team from the group that won a conference title and made it to the Elite Eight in each of the prior two seasons.
If anything, this season for the Women of Troy was further evidence of just how valuable Watkins is. While there were obviously other factors at hand as well, by far the biggest difference between this year and the prior two for USC was the absence of Watkins. The fact that the Trojans went from one of the best teams in the country to a No. 9 seed in her absence just shows even more how special of a player she is.
The good news for USC is that Watkins will be back next season. With the vast majority of this year’s team also returning and a loaded recruiting class coming in, the Trojans should be a massively improved group in 2025-2026. After a rebuilding year this season, Final Four expectations should be right back on the table next year.
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: USC’s 2025-2026 season highlighted just how valuable Juju Watkins is
Reporting by Adam Bradford, Trojans Wire / Trojans Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
