No. 3 USC will be hosting No. 6 Notre Dame on Saturday in a showdown featuring two of the nation's most exciting players. The game is set for 4 p.m. ET at Galen Center.
Notre Dame has an 8-2 advantage in the series dating back to the 1984-85 season. However, their last encounter happened in 2011, long before Lindsay Gottlieb took over as USC's coach and brought the program back to life.
The Trojans have been on the rise and are fresh off their first Elite Eight since 1994. The Fighting Irish, meanwhile, can't be overlooked as they just competed in their third consecutive Sweet 16.
Last year, USC's JuJu Watkins and Notre Dame's Hannah Hidalgo were two of the nation's top freshmen, and they've kept that momentum going in their sophomore seasons. Both rosters also got more dangerous ahead of the 2024-25 campaign, but more on that below.
Here is everything you need to know ahead of this marquee matchup:
Where to watch No. 3 USC vs. No. 6 Notre Dame
- Date/Time: Saturday, Nov. 23 at 4 p.m. ET
- Venue: Galen Center in Los Angeles, Calif.
- TV: NBC
- Stream: fubo (try for free)
USC surrounding Watkins with stars
Watkins is only a sophomore, but she is already one of college basketball's biggest stars. She broke the freshman all-time scoring record last season with 920 points, and last week she became the fastest player from a Power 4 conference to reach 1,000 points. She is currently leading USC with 21.5 points per game.
The Trojans are entering their first season in the Big Ten, and the expectations are high as they were voted the preseason favorite. Watkins has a lot to do with it, but the team also added Stanford's Kiki Iriafen and Oregon State's Talia von Oelhoffen, as well as the top freshman class in the nation headlined by Kennedy Smith.
Watkins warned everyone Iriafen is an underrated player, and the 2024 Pac-12 Most Improved Player of the Year has wasted no time in proving her Watkins right. Iriafen is averaging 17.3 points and a team-high 7.5 rebounds per game in her first season with the Trojans.
USC had an upset scare in its season opener against Ole Miss, but the Trojans shook that off quickly. On Nov. 12, Gottlieb earned her 300th career win in a 124-39 victory against CSUN. The 124 points was the most points scored by the school against any opponent, and the result was also the largest margin of victory ever for USC basketball -- men's or women's.
Miles' return giving Notre Dame boost
The Fighting Irish got stronger this season with the return of star guard Olivia Miles, who had not played since she tore her ACL in February 2023. Despite sitting out for so long, she is averaging 18.3. points and eight rebounds per game this season. Meanwhile, Hidalgo is currently the nation's fourth-leading scorer at 25 points per game.
One key piece missing for the Fighting Irish is Maddy Westbeld, who averaged 14.4 points and a team-leading 8.7 rebounds per game last season. However, the Fighting Irish are still thriving as the No. 3-ranked scoring offense at 97.5 points per game. Miles and Hidalgo are two very strong players, but the success has been a team effort.
Ahead of the season, Hidalgo tolf CBS Sports freshman Kate Koval is "dangerous," and that it seemed people didn't understand how good she really is. Five games in, Koval has shown what she can do. She leads all Division I players with a total of 22 blocks so far, while her 13 rebounds per game are second best in the country. She is doing that while also contributing 12.8 points per game.
One of the keys for Notre Dame's success against the Trojans could be the return of Liatu King, who missed Sunday's game against Lafayette with a head injury. Notre Dame coach Niele Ivey confirmed that King is back in practice and should be making the trip to Los Angeles. King is nearly averaging a double-double with 17.7 points and 9.7 rebounds.
