Women’s Basketball | September 26, 2024
Entering its first season in the Big Ten Conference, USC women’s basketball has landed top honors from its new league, picked No. 1 in the Preseason Rankings to go along with JuJu Watkins’ selection as Big Ten Preseason Player of the Year. Watkins also joins fellow Trojan Kiki Iriafen on the Preseason All-Big Ten Team, which was announced by the conference today (Sept. 26).
The Women of Troy — under the direction of head coach Lindsay Gottlieb for the fourth season — have been selected to top the Big Ten in 2024-25, earning the No. 1 spot ahead of No. 2 UCLA, No. 3 Ohio State, No. 4 Maryland and No. 5 Indiana in both the coaches and media preseason polls. All five were NCAA Tournament teams last season, with USC having made the deepest run of the group with its Elite Eight appearance. UCLA and Indiana reached the 2024 Sweet Sixteen, while Ohio State got to the Second Round, and Maryland played in the First Round.
A unanimous selected as the Big Ten Coaches Preseason Player of the Year, JuJu Watkins enters her sophomore season with the Trojans. USC’s sixth First Team All-American and the 2024 Ann Meyers Drysdale Shooting Guard of the Year, Watkins set the all-time national record for scoring by a freshman with 920 points last season and finished as the nation’s second leading scorer behind Iowa’s Caitlin Clark with 27.1 points per game. She’s locked in as a unanimous pick by Big Ten coaches and media with her spot on the Preseason All-Big Ten Team.
Voted by coaches as the 𝗨𝗡𝗔𝗡𝗜𝗠𝗢𝗨𝗦 preseason @bigten Player of the Year ✌️
Let's get it, @Jujubballin! pic.twitter.com/djRBm1P7Ps
— USC Women's Basketball (@USCWBB) September 26, 2024
In stride with Watkins with a place on the Preseason All-Big Ten Team, grad student Kiki Iriafen enters her first season as a Trojan in 2024-25. A transfer out of Stanford, the Los Angeles native was the 2024 Katrina McClain Power Forward of the Year and an All-America honorable mention recipient. In her junior year at Stanford last season, she put up 19.4 points per game and hauled in 11.0 rebounds per game while helping the Cardinal reach the 2024 Sweet Sixteen.
Ready to put on a show.
Kiki & JuJu were both named to the preseason All-Big Ten Team ✌️ pic.twitter.com/UopC132Jp6
— USC Women's Basketball (@USCWBB) September 26, 2024
As it steps into the Big Ten Conference, USC is coming off a 2023-24 campaign in which the Women of Troy earned their first NCAA No. 1 seed since 1986 and their second Pac-12 Tournament championship. Grad transfers Iriafen and Talia Von Oelhoffen have joined fellow All-Pac-12 honorees Rayah Marshall and Watkins for a 2024-25 Trojan team that also boasts the top-ranked freshman class in the nation in Rian Forestier, Kayleigh Heckel, Avery Howell, Vivian Iwuchukwu, Brooklyn Shamblin, Kennedy Smith and Laura Williams. Last season, USC posted wins over future Big Ten opponents Ohio State and Penn State in the Trojans’ historic 29-6 season, which saw head coach Lindsay Gottlieb named a finalist for the Naismith Coach of the Year Award and Watkins selected a Naismith finalist as well as the winner of National Freshman of the Year awards.
2024-25 Big Ten Women’s Basketball Preseason Honors
2024-25 Coaches Big Ten Preseason Rankings
1. USC
2. UCLA
3. Ohio State
4. Maryland
5. Indiana
2024-25 Coaches Preseason All-Big Ten Team*
Makira Cook, 5th-Yr., G, Illinois
Hannah Stuelke, Jr., F, Iowa
Lucy Olsen, Gr., G, Iowa
Shyanne Sellers, Sr., G, Maryland
Alexis Markowski, Sr., C/F, Nebraska
Cotie McMahon, Jr., F, Ohio State
LAUREN BETTS, Jr., C, UCLA
Kiki Rice, Jr., G, UCLA
JUJU WATKINS, SO., G, USC
Kiki Iriafen, Gr., F, USC
Serah Williams, Jr., F, Wisconsin
*Additional player due to tie in voting
2024-25 Coaches Preseason Player of the Year
JUJU WATKINS, SO., G, USC
2024-25 Media Big Ten Preseason Rankings
1. USC
2. UCLA
3. Ohio State
4. Maryland
5. Indiana
2024-25 Media Preseason All-Big Ten Team
Hannah Stuelke, Jr., F, Iowa
Lucy Olsen, Gr., G, Iowa
Shyanne Sellers, Sr., G, Maryland
Alexis Markowski, Sr., C/F, Nebraska
Cotie McMahon, Jr., F, Ohio State
Lauren Betts, Jr., C, UCLA
Kiki Rice, Jr., G, UCLA
JUJU WATKINS, SO., G, USC
Kiki Iriafen, Gr., F, USC
Serah Williams, Jr., F, Wisconsin
2024-25 Media Preseason Player of the Year
JuJu Watkins, So., USC
Unanimous selections listed in ALL CAPS
