USC’s NCAA Tournament loss to South Dakota State certainly hurt, but it was easy for coach Lindsay Gottlieb and her players to step back and realize just how much they accomplished this season.
USC was not expected to beat Stanford or make the NCAA Tournament. The Trojans are ahead of schedule after two years under Gottlieb. They’re bringing in the nation’s No. 1-ranked recruit, Juju Watkins. They have a chance to bring in some high-end players in the transfer portal who specifically want to play with Watkins. Any significant additions to the roster — particularly players who can be depth pieces to build the bench or shooters who can provide reliable offense — will massively upgrade a team which has a strong defense and will get a top-tier guard for next season. So many good pieces are already in place, and more should be on the way.
It’s a hopeful time for USC women’s basketball despite the loss. Gottlieb and her players reflected on their journey and on the South Dakota State overtime game they just played. Here’s audio from their press conference in Blacksburg, Va., after Friday’s game. Our thanks to Tim Thomas of the Tech Lunch Pail for attending the presser, asking some questions to USC coaches and players, and passing along this audio collection to us:
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