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USC Women’s Basketball Picks Up Top Honors In Big Ten Preseason Rankings and Awards
September 26, 2024 | Women's Basketball
Picked No. 1 as a team, USC has JuJu Watkins named Big Ten Preseason Player of the Year, joining Kiki Iriafen on Preseason All-Big Ten Team.
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 selection 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.
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
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 selection 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.
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.Voted by coaches as the 𝗨𝗡𝗔𝗡𝗜𝗠𝗢𝗨𝗦 preseason @bigten Player of the Year ✌️
— USC Women's Basketball (@USCWBB) September 26, 2024
Let's get it, @Jujubballin! pic.twitter.com/djRBm1P7Ps
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.Ready to put on a show.
— USC Women's Basketball (@USCWBB) September 26, 2024
Kiki & JuJu were both named to the preseason All-Big Ten Team ✌️ pic.twitter.com/UopC132Jp6
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
Women's Basketball Head Coach Lindsay Gottlieb Media Availability 9/18/25
Thursday, September 18
USC WBB's Lindsay Gottlieb, Rayah Marshall and Talia von Oelhoffen | Trojan Press Conference
Monday, March 31
USC WBB heads to the Elite 8, defeats Kansas State in Sweet 16 | Rapid Reaction
Saturday, March 29
Kennedy Smith on USC WBB heading to the Elite Eight, Trojan freshmen getting the job done
Saturday, March 29
