Three games in and USC women’s basketball’s ceiling for the 2024-25 season is already proving to be inestimable.

Over the season’s opening eight days, the No. 3 Trojans (3-0) played games in two continents, defeated a top-25 team and set program records for points scored and margin of victory in a game. Their next victims are the Santa Clara University Broncos (2-0) whom they will host Friday at noon at Galen Center.

The Broncos had a solid finish last season when they rounded up 24 wins and exited the 2024 Invitational Tournament during the second round. Their recent successes have continued as the Broncos have defeated UC Riverside (1-3) and Fresno State University (3-1) to start the fall campaign.

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Six-foot-three-inch senior forward Olivia Pollerd earned the West Coast Conference’s first Player of the Week award Monday. Pollard hit a career-high 31 points against Fresno State and is shooting 55% from deep so far this season.

As respectable as Santa Clara and its headliner are as an opponent, they are likely no match for the Trojans. After an Elite 8 run that hoisted USC out of its four-decade-long period of puttering in the pits, Gottlieb and the Trojans have not slowed. Rather, they are beginning to construct a team non-referential to the program’s recent history.

“I don’t think we’re where we ultimately want to be,” Gottlieb said in a press conference after the Cal State Northridge win Tuesday. “But for three games in, I think we’ve made a lot of improvements … I would hope that our trajectory continues to go up and that we’re not a finished product yet.”

With nine newcomers on USC’s roster, the team needs time to maximize its talent; even still, some of the emergent issues from the season’s first week have been resolved.

Against Ole Miss (2-1) and Cal Poly (1-2), the Trojans struggled from behind the arc, converting a measly 17.9%, seven triples on 39 attempts. However, days later, against Cal State Northridge (2-1), shots began to drop. Shooting 17-for-36, USC went 47.2% from what is no longer zero-point land.

“I haven’t been worried for a second,” Gottlieb said.

When defended by the Matadors, eight different USC players shot .500 or better on 3-pointers. Watkins has struggled from three — she went 1-6 on Tuesday — but is expected to return to her first-year form when she shot 31.9% from behind the arc.

Watkins’ 3-point production shouldn’t be too much of a concern for USC. This season, the Trojans have plenty of scoring depth to help her on all fronts of the court. So far, seven players have hit double figures in a game and Watkins is taking almost 8% less of the team’s shots compared to this point last season.

“It didn’t look like it was our bench out there,” Talia von Oelhoffen said after the Trojan bench put up 56 points against CSUN.

Freshman guard Kayleigh Heckel is one of the Trojans’ strongest supporting cast members thus far. Despite coming off the bench, Heckel is tied for third in scoring for the team.

“I’ve played with and against [Heckel] since high school and I played with her in the summer for [USA Basketball U18], so I’ve seen the transition from there to now,” Smith said. “She’s really growing as a point guard and learning from [von Oelhoffen] as a [senior] right now.”

With seven steals so far, Heckel has also assisted a Trojan defense that is top-25 in Division I defensive scoring. The USC defense has held opponents to 29.2% shooting and nearly broke the program record for forced turnovers with 43 on Tuesday.

“Kennedy and [Watkins] are as good as it gets at just getting their hands on the ball,” von Oelhoffen said.

Before the Trojans turn it back over to the road, they will play two more games at home. And Friday, Galen Center will summon USC supporters at noon for a showdown with the Broncos.