USC Women’s Basketball vs. Minnesota: Preview, Prediction

How to Watch USC vs. Minnesota

When: Jan. 11 at 12 p.m. PT

Where: Williams Arena in Minneapolis, Minnesota

TV: B1G+

Radio: ESPN LA 710 AM | USC Gameday App | ESPNLA App

USC Desperately Needs to Regain Its Footing

USC enters the matchup reeling after consecutive losses to UCLA and Oregon, marking its first losing streak since January 2024.

Tuesday’s 71-66 collapse against Oregon exposed lingering issues. USC built a 17-point lead, then lost control late, continuing trends that surfaced days earlier in the blowout loss to UCLA. Through 14 games, the Trojans already have as many losses as they did during last season’s regular season. Following the loss, USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb did not mince words in her postgame press conference.

“From my standpoint, about as upsetting a loss as we’ve had in this building,” Gottlieb said during her opening comments after the Oregon loss. “I told the players, that’s on me, that’s on us. It was gross in every way, the way we handled when we had a lead, the way we handled when they were cutting into our lead.”

She reinforced that message later while addressing her team’s mindset, but her belief in her team's ability to recover never wavered.

“Obviously I am wildly disappointed,” Gottlieb said. “I respect and trust our players enough to say that to their face and fight to get better.”

Sunday represents USC’s first opportunity to show that message landed as they look to regain footing in the Big Ten race. They are currently 2-2 in conference play

Could Laura Williams Be the Answer Up Front?

One potential adjustment came in the frontcourt. Against Oregon, freshman forward Laura Williams played a career-high 25 minutes, while the starters junior forward Gerda Raulusaityte and sophomore forward Vivian Iwuchukwu were limited to single-digit minutes. Williams finished with five points, nine rebounds, an assist, and a block. The rebounds were a career high. Her +6 plus-minus led the team.

The production wasn’t flashy, but it was stabilizing, something USC has lacked in its young forward rotation. Whether Gottlieb expands that role or sticks with the current starting group will be one of the most important lineup decisions to watch.

If the Trojans are able to get Kennedy Smith back after missing the Oregon game with an ankle injury, paired with more production from Williams, Jazzy Davidson could get some much needed help in the rebounding department.

This team has been relying on Davidson across the board as she leads the team in points, rebounds, blocks and steals. The potential emergence of Williams is something that could help Davidson breathe a little and focus more on getting this Trojans offense back on track.

Watch Out for Grace Grocholski

Minnesota enters at 11-4 overall and 2-2 in Big Ten play after a dominant 79-47 win over Northwestern. The Golden Gophers score 77.1 points per game and shoot 44.5 percent from the field, but they don’t rely on a single dominant scorer. Three players average double figures. Still, when Minnesota faces elite competition, one name keeps surfacing: Grace Grocholski.

The junior guard leads Minnesota at 13.1 points per game and is shooting an elite 48 percent from three on high volume. More importantly, she elevates her play against top opponents.

Grocholski scored 31 points against No. 7 Maryland in a one-point double-overtime loss and added 22 against No. 9 Michigan. She has three other games of 18 or more points this season. Minnesota doesn’t need her to score 30 but USC cannot allow her to control the game late.

USC vs. Minnesota Prediction

The USC Trojans will win on the road against the Minnesota Golden Gophers, 76-70