UCLA And USC Are Building Something
A look at the future additions to Hoopla
A heads up for you before I talk ball: there will be no Monday Hoopla next week. I am headed to Gov Ball in New York for the third time, and will be coming back very tired on Monday, so I won’t even pretend to think I’ll be writing when I get home.
But that’s next week. We have two future Big Ten teams to talk about today.
Starting Aug. 2, 2024, UCLA and USC will be a part of the Big Ten. Whether or not this is generally a good idea is up for debate, but one thing is certain: It will make the Big Ten an even stronger women’s basketball conference than it currently is.
For starters, both the Bruins and Trojans were NCAA Tournament teams in 2023, but plenty could change with a full season left to finish out in the Pac-12. The real excitement comes with how each of these programs are building for something special, and it could fully come to fruition by the time they are officially a part of the conference.
Whether it be through recruiting or through the transfer portal, UCLA and USC are among the most exciting rosters in the country for how much potential each of them hold. It will be a storyline all season long to see if that potential immediately develops, but that will all lead perfectly into the conference transition the following offseason.
UCLA
The Bruins are coming off an excellent campaign, winning 27 games and making it to the Sweet 16 before falling to South Carolina. The victory total is the most since 2017-18.
This next season brings heightened expectations, with star Charisma Osborne electing to return for a final super senior season. While Osborne (15.9 PPG) will be gone by the time the Bruins are a Big Ten team, her return will take some of the burden off UCLA’s very exciting underclassmen.
Leading that charge is Kiki Rice, the top get from what was graded as ESPN’s No. 1 2022 recruiting class. Rice had a great freshman season, averaging 11.6 PPG, 4.5 RPG and 3.0 APG. Londynn Jones and Gabriela Jaquez were the other big gets, and should see expanded roles in year two.
Emily Bessoir came to UCLA the year prior, but had an excellent sophomore campaign, averaging 9.4 PPG and 5.8 RPG while shooting 35.7 percent from deep. They will all be joined by Lauren Betts, the 6-7 transfer from Stanford who was ESPN’s top-ranked prospect in 2022. She didn’t get significant opportunities with the Cardinal, but could blossom in a new home.
The Bruins come in as ESPN’s sixth-best team for 2023-24, and should remain high when they make the move to the Big Ten.
USC
While not reaching the heights of UCLA, it was an excellent year for the Trojans as a program, earning 21 wins for the first time since 2013-14. That 21-10 record included an NCAA Tournament appearance that ended in the Round of 64 with an overtime defeat to No. 9 seed South Dakota State.
Despite the early tournament exit, USC has plenty to be excited about moving forward. They will lose top scorers Kadi Sissoko and Destiny Littleton, but return star forward Rayah Marshall (13.1 PPG, 11.5 RPG, 3.5 BPG), who finished second in the nation in blocks per game.
There have been some solid additions through the transfer portal this offseason, specifically from the Ivy League. Those would be Harvard’s McKenzie Forbes (13.7 PPG, 40.1 3PT%), Columbia’s Kaitlyn Davis (13.6 PPG, 8.3 RPG, 3.7 APG) and Penn’s Kayla Padilla (18.0 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 3.4 APG).
The big thing to know about USC, though, is Judea “JuJu” Watkins, 2023’s top recruit, and one of the most hyped recruits in recent memory with Paige Bueckers. Watkins is the Gatorade National Player of the Year, and should immediately become a big-time star for this Trojans roster. It’s a big reason why USC is ranked 21st in ESPN’s way-too-early Top 25.
Both UCLA and USC are expected to be among the nation’s best this season, a lot in thanks to unproven players with major expectations. The Bruins had the nation’s top class in 2022, then added the No. 1 overall player from that class this offseason. The Trojans already have the top player in 2023, then brought in some veteran Ivy League transfers to help making Watkins’ transition and development as easy as possible.
There is so much to be excited about with both of these teams, and that excitement is not expected to wear off as they move to the Big Ten. At this current moment, it feels like both of these teams could immediately become a part of the conference's current upper echelon: Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan and Ohio State. Illinois, Nebraska and Purdue continue to test each of those top teams as is, and there’s a whole lot to be excited about with other Big Ten teams, specifically Penn State with the new addition of Ashley Owusu that will be discussed at length in a future Hoopla.
All of this is to say one thing: The Big Ten women’s basketball is already so good, and it is only set to get better in the near future. I hope everyone is as excited as I am to welcome in these new teams, at least in this particular sport.
Feature Photo Credit: Courtesy of USC Athletics
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