The NCAA women’s basketball regular season is finally here, with USC securing its first win this week in Paris against Ole Miss. As teams navigate new players, returning talent and injuries, questions remain unanswered about who will come out on top this season. 

Nonetheless, the Trojans, coming off an Elite 8 finish and a Pacific-12 title, are projected to be strong contenders for the National Championship in March. The question is, does this year’s team have what it takes to bring home the title that Los Angeles hasn’t witnessed since 1984? 

Although the entire sport of women’s basketball has greatly evolved over the past 40 years, the impact of the 1983 and 1984 USC teams continues to resonate throughout the program. Their legacy serves as a standard of excellence, and the current Trojans have the potential to recreate that two-year dynasty’s success.

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Sophomore star JuJu Watkins will be a key player for the team this year. The guard shattered records last season and helped lead the team to a Pacific-12 Championship. During her first year, Watkins tallied 920 points to set the all-time national freshman scoring record. 

She picked up almost every award possible, including the ESPY for Best Breakthrough Athlete, Pacific-12 Freshman of the Year, The Athletic National Freshman of the Year and was a Honda Award Finalist. 

Similar to USC legend and two-time national champion Cheryl Miller, Watkins possesses special qualities that elevate the program, making this year’s team a contender to replicate the same success of the ’80s dynasty. 

Despite the resemblance of these two incredible players, I do not think comparing them does any justice to their individual greatness and the projected success of the current team. Miller and the 1983 and 1984 teams completely changed the game of women’s basketball. Miller and her team competed not only to further their own success but also to pave the way for decades of women athletes who came after them regardless of sport. 

Miller and Watkins are both phenomenal, accomplished athletes, but comparing them as players and attempting to place one above the other only takes away from what each of them has done for the sport of women’s basketball.

Watkins has an exciting season coming up; however, a team needs more than one player to win a championship. Luckily for the Trojans, their roster runs deep with new talent as well as returning veterans. 

Alongside Watkins, three other USC players were named to the October 2024 50-player watch list for the Naismith Trophy. Transfer graduate guard Talia von Oelhoffen, transfer graduate forward Kiki Iriafen and returning center senior Rayah Marshall were added to the pristine list as well. It was a smart move on USC’s part to add two immediate impact transfers to the team, as they are well-versed in what it takes to be a part of a top-notch program. 

Von Oelhoffen transferred from Oregon State after she assisted her team in reaching the Elite 8 last season and earning an All-Pacific-12 Team selection. As a guard at Oregon State last season, von Oelhoffen had 5 assists per game while averaging 11.2 points per game for the Beavers. 

Iriafen is another familiar Pacific-12 opponent. She arrived at USC from Stanford and has already been named as an AP Preseason All-American. Iriafen had a standout season last year, averaging 19.4 points and 11.0 rebounds per game last season and was named Pacific-12 Most Improved Player of the Year.

With a strong roster and confidence coming off of a breakthrough season, I think the Trojans are set to be a dominant force. With talk of a National Championship looming around the program, Watkins and the rest of the team will get to play under the championship banners of the legacy built by Miller and the 1983 and 1984 squads. This history should inspire them to bring back the legacy of those incredible years for USC women’s basketball.

Entering the Big Ten conference is no small feat, but after watching USC’s season opener against No. 20 Ole Miss (0-1) Monday, my hopes for this year’s program were vindicated. The opening game was anything but perfect for the Trojans, but it’s totally excusable for the first big game, and a win is a win. What was telling about this game was the fight to the very last second and the grit exhibited by each of the players. In the fourth quarter, Watkins suffered a bloody nose and still went back on the court to finish the game. 

Watkin’s toughness and ability to put points on the board was pivotal in helping her team fight back and take the game 68-66. Ole Miss definitely challenged the Trojans, but USC showed massive resilience and ability to play under pressure, especially having to secure the win by making free throws. 

Overall, I believe a gritty, close-scoring win is exactly what the Trojans needed to go into their home opener Saturday against Cal Poly and an excellent sign that this team has what it takes to win a championship and further its place in history.

Sloane Morra is a senior giving her opinions and perspectives on current issues in women’s sports through her column “Second Serve,” which runs every other Friday.