I watched the UConn-USC game this week to obtain a feel for Lindsay Gottlieb's team. Without Ju Ju Watkins, they're good but not great. However, their three losses were to #1 UConn, #2 South Carolina & @ Notre Dame. The one factor that stood out was their overall team speed. I had trouble visualizing which Cal players would defend certain players from Troy. The weakness that I observed was three 6-3 post players that rotated at center.
I feel that the Bears must take advantage inside to stay close in Sunday's game.
Gottlieb is in her fifth season in LA and has been able to land a top five recruit in each of the last three recruit classes. This year she features the top recruit in the nation in Jazzy Davidson, a 6-1 wing from Clackamas HS, Oregon. Last year's team brought in Etiwanda's star, 6-1 forward Kennedy Smith. The prior campaign landed unstoppable Ju Ju. The initial two that I mentioned, I witnessed perform twice each against Archbishop Mitty.
My prediction is USC 64, Cal 60. I will quickly review the Trojan's eight player rotation.
2025-2026 USC Women's Basketball
Here's Troy's starting lineup:
Their best all-around player by far is freshman, Jazzy Davidson (#9). This young lady glides up and down the court like a gazelle. She can take most defenders off of the dribble to the basket, she has a nice pull-up jump shot and is tied for second on her team in three-point baskets (17). Jazzy is 1st in assists (43), 1st in shot blocks (26) & 1st in steals (22) in 11 games. This southpaw also leads SC in scoring with 16.1 points and rebounding with 6.9 per game. Her only perceptible weakness is free throw shooting (59.3%). The second-best overall performer is soph point forward, Kennedy Smith (#11). She is perhaps their best ball-handler with 40 assists and only 13 turnovers. Lindsay realizes these two run the team and keeps them on the court 32+ & 31+ minutes, respectively. Smith only averages 9.8 points on offense but is up there in every other statistical category. Kennedy is 3rd in rebounds w/ 4.6 per contest. She is also 2nd in steals (21) & 3rd in blocks (11).
Their backcourt star is Kara Dunn (#25), a 5-11 SG grad transfer from GA Tech. She earned 1st team all-ACC honors last season w/ 15.5 ppg. She was known for her three-point prowess, so Cal needs to keep their eyes on her tomorrow evening. This season she is settling into her new team with 10.9 points & 4.9 boards per game. She hits almost 40% of her treys and is tied for second w/17. Malia Samuels (#10) is a 5-6 junior PG that is filling in for Ju Ju Watkins. USC's three-headed monster is made up of junior starter, Gerda Raulusaityte (#8), a 6-3 post from Lithuania. She gets the most PT and contributes 3.9 points + 3.7 rebounds. The other two role players are 6-3 soph Dayana Mendes from France and fellow 6-3 soph Vivian Iwuchukwu.
Gottlieb's "sixth man" is their instant offensive threat. When tiny 5-4 grad transfer SG from UCLA, Londynn Jones (#3), enters the fray, look for an energizer bunny. She is second in scoring with 12.9 ppg. She is a volume shooter with the second most field goal attempts on the team in less minutes. Approximately half of her shots are from distance. Jones leads in three-pointers with 20! She seems to be either a hot or cold player on a given night. When she is "on fire" she has scored 18-28 points in games this season. When she cold and shutdown, she doesn't affect the outcome of the game too much. Londynn is super quick and gets fouled often. She is tops in free throws made with 24. The UConn game illustrates my point. She went 0-6 from deep but scored three other baskets and made 8 free throws for 14 points. Cal needs to try not to foul her because she is 24-27 (88.9 FT%) from the charity stripe.
2025-26 Women's Basketball Roster - USC Athletics
In summary, their speed is also a problem on defense for their opponents. Troy forces 19.5 turnovers on average with nearly half coming on steals (9.8). The teams are comparable in rebounding stats. If the Bears can score inside w/ offense from Sakima Walker & Naya Ojukwu and win the battle of three-point shots, they'll have a chance to pull an upset. I was not impressed with their defense but, of course, I was watching UConn. GO BEARS!
I feel that the Bears must take advantage inside to stay close in Sunday's game.
Gottlieb is in her fifth season in LA and has been able to land a top five recruit in each of the last three recruit classes. This year she features the top recruit in the nation in Jazzy Davidson, a 6-1 wing from Clackamas HS, Oregon. Last year's team brought in Etiwanda's star, 6-1 forward Kennedy Smith. The prior campaign landed unstoppable Ju Ju. The initial two that I mentioned, I witnessed perform twice each against Archbishop Mitty.
My prediction is USC 64, Cal 60. I will quickly review the Trojan's eight player rotation.
2025-2026 USC Women's Basketball
Here's Troy's starting lineup:
Their best all-around player by far is freshman, Jazzy Davidson (#9). This young lady glides up and down the court like a gazelle. She can take most defenders off of the dribble to the basket, she has a nice pull-up jump shot and is tied for second on her team in three-point baskets (17). Jazzy is 1st in assists (43), 1st in shot blocks (26) & 1st in steals (22) in 11 games. This southpaw also leads SC in scoring with 16.1 points and rebounding with 6.9 per game. Her only perceptible weakness is free throw shooting (59.3%). The second-best overall performer is soph point forward, Kennedy Smith (#11). She is perhaps their best ball-handler with 40 assists and only 13 turnovers. Lindsay realizes these two run the team and keeps them on the court 32+ & 31+ minutes, respectively. Smith only averages 9.8 points on offense but is up there in every other statistical category. Kennedy is 3rd in rebounds w/ 4.6 per contest. She is also 2nd in steals (21) & 3rd in blocks (11).
Their backcourt star is Kara Dunn (#25), a 5-11 SG grad transfer from GA Tech. She earned 1st team all-ACC honors last season w/ 15.5 ppg. She was known for her three-point prowess, so Cal needs to keep their eyes on her tomorrow evening. This season she is settling into her new team with 10.9 points & 4.9 boards per game. She hits almost 40% of her treys and is tied for second w/17. Malia Samuels (#10) is a 5-6 junior PG that is filling in for Ju Ju Watkins. USC's three-headed monster is made up of junior starter, Gerda Raulusaityte (#8), a 6-3 post from Lithuania. She gets the most PT and contributes 3.9 points + 3.7 rebounds. The other two role players are 6-3 soph Dayana Mendes from France and fellow 6-3 soph Vivian Iwuchukwu.
Gottlieb's "sixth man" is their instant offensive threat. When tiny 5-4 grad transfer SG from UCLA, Londynn Jones (#3), enters the fray, look for an energizer bunny. She is second in scoring with 12.9 ppg. She is a volume shooter with the second most field goal attempts on the team in less minutes. Approximately half of her shots are from distance. Jones leads in three-pointers with 20! She seems to be either a hot or cold player on a given night. When she is "on fire" she has scored 18-28 points in games this season. When she cold and shutdown, she doesn't affect the outcome of the game too much. Londynn is super quick and gets fouled often. She is tops in free throws made with 24. The UConn game illustrates my point. She went 0-6 from deep but scored three other baskets and made 8 free throws for 14 points. Cal needs to try not to foul her because she is 24-27 (88.9 FT%) from the charity stripe.
2025-26 Women's Basketball Roster - USC Athletics
In summary, their speed is also a problem on defense for their opponents. Troy forces 19.5 turnovers on average with nearly half coming on steals (9.8). The teams are comparable in rebounding stats. If the Bears can score inside w/ offense from Sakima Walker & Naya Ojukwu and win the battle of three-point shots, they'll have a chance to pull an upset. I was not impressed with their defense but, of course, I was watching UConn. GO BEARS!
