The past 12 months have marked a seismic shift in the trajectory of the USC women’s basketball program. After a first-round exit at the hands of South Dakota State University in the 2023 NCAA Tournament, the Trojans made major strides last season, winning the Pacific-12 conference tournament for the first time in 10 years. USC also earned a No.1 seed from the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee for the first time since 1986 and finished with a 29-6 record overall.

As the college basketball regular season returns next week across the states, the Trojans will look to take another unprecedented step, opening the regular season on the other side of the world, eight hours ahead.

Ranked No. 3 in the preseason Associated Press Top 25 poll, USC will take on No. 20 Ole Miss at Adidas Arena in Paris on Monday. The tilt in France will be the first game of the 2024 Aflac Oui-Play event, with tip-off slated for 9 a.m. It will also mark the first-ever meeting between the two schools.

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Despite those challenges, the Trojans were still picked to finish first in the new-look Big Ten, cementing the high level of expectations that have piled up after last year’s success.

But Gottlieb isn’t worried, as the team plans to pick up right where they left off.

“We haven’t shied away from the word expectations all summer,” Gottlieb said. “I’m not trying to pretend that they’re not there. It’s just a matter of using it as the standard and saying, ‘This is where we want to be,’ but not letting that put the weight of the world on our shoulders every day.”

Those expectations are buoyed by the presence of star sophomore guard JuJu Watkins, whose record-breaking freshman year propelled the Trojans into the national conversation. 

A highly touted player from Sierra Canyon High School in north Los Angeles, Watkins set an all-time NCAA freshman scoring record with 920 points in her freshman year. She averaged a stunning 27.1 points per game, including a 51-point outburst against Stanford in February.

This year Watkins was selected as the Big Ten’s Preseason Player of the Year by the league’s coaches. She was also named to the Associated Press’s preseason All-America team alongside graduate forward Kiki Iriafen, who transferred to USC after three years in the Bay Area at Stanford. 

Iriafen averaged 19.4 points per game last season and earned the Katrina McClain Award, given to the nation’s best power forward. The duo looks to be a problem for opposing coaches across the Big Ten.

In describing the move from Northern to Southern California, Iriafen primarily emphasized the pro-style nature of USC’s scheme, which has forced her to put a greater emphasis on creativity and making the right reads. But she also notes that her time with Gottlieb has allowed her to move from simply playing the game to knowing the game inside and out.

“I think for a long time I was on train tracks, but it’s like, ‘Break it down, make the read, we’re gonna give you the ball in these situations.’ And like, ‘What are you going to do with the ball?’” Iraiafen said. “ So I think she’s giving me the key, but I have to kind of understand it myself, which I think has been incredible, immense.” 

The firepower doesn’t stop there. Watkins is joined in the backcourt by graduate guard Talia von Oelhoffen, who made the move to L.A. after four seasons at Oregon State. 

Von Oelhoffen was named to the All-Pac-12 team twice in her four years in Corvallis and brings veteran experience to bolster the young core of the team. Like USC, Oregon State reached the Elite 8 last year but fell short against eventual national champion South Carolina.

USC also brought in the No. 1 recruiting class in the country this season, with freshman guards Kennedy Smith, Avery Howell and Kayleigh Heckel all ranking within the top 20 of ESPN’s 2024 HoopGurlz Recruiting Rankings. Gottlieb spoke highly of her freshmen, noting that they consistently bring the right energy and attitudes to the practice court.

While blending all of these pieces into a cohesive unit would seem like a major challenge for any coach, Gottlieb has done it. The players speak highly of the team’s chemistry and shared dynamic, which should prove to be a major asset in Monday’s season opener. Ole Miss is no slouch; the Rebels possess an experienced roster, anchored by graduate point guard Madison Scott, who was named First Team All-SEC last season.

But the Trojans feel ready for the clash in Paris.

“We feel great. We feel like we’re really ready for this,” Heckel said. “We’ve worked really hard, we have a lot of team chemistry, all of us are close … Everyone knows what each other does on the court, and we just play to each other’s strengths.” 

After Paris, the Trojans will return to Galen Center for their home opener against California Polytechnic University on Nov. 9 at 2 p.m.