USC’s Lindsay Gottlieb Repeats As Finalist For Werner Ladder Naismith National Coach of the Year

Lindsay Gottlieb addresses her team during a timeout in a game at Galen Center.

Photo by: Katie Chin/USC Athletics

USC’s Lindsay Gottlieb Repeats As Finalist For Werner Ladder Naismith National Coach of the Year

March 24, 2025 | Women's Basketball

The Women of Troy are a top seed in the 2025 NCAA Tournament.

For the second straight season, USC women's basketball head coach Lindsay Gottlieb has earned a finalist nod for the 2025 Werner Ladder Naismith Women's College Coach of the Year award, presented by AXIA Time. In her fourth season at the helm of the USC program, Gottlieb is one of four top coaches selected as 2025 finalists.

Winners of the Big Ten regular-season championship and picking up their second straight No. 1 seed for the NCAA Tournament, Gottlieb's Trojans are 29-3 overall and ranked No. 4 in the nation as they enter today's NCAA Second Round looking to earn another spot in the Sweet Sixteen. USC has gone 9-2 against ranked opponents in 2024-25 with a 3-0 record on the road against top-10 opponents.

Earlier this season, Gottlieb earned her 300th career victory as a head coach, and her career record now stands at 326-162 while she has manufactured a 91-34 record with the Women of Troy. Gottlieb and her group recently made another historic mark in beating previously undefeated rival UCLA, which was ranked No. 1 in the nation when USC took the Bruins down with a 71-58 victory in front of a packed house at Galen Center. It was USC's first win over an AP No. 1-ranked opponent since 1983 and the program's second such win all-time. Gottlieb also was named the Big Ten Coach of the Year for her work in leading the Trojans to the conference regular-season crown.

Gottlieb's 2024-25 roster includes eight former McDonald's All-Americans including two 2024-25 AP Preseason All-America selections in Kiki Iriafen and JuJu Watkins. Iriafen, Watkins as well as Rayah Marshall and Talia von Oelhoffen were all named as members of Naismith Starting Five Watch Lists. As a group, USC's talented Trojans have combined forces to rank as the No. 2 team in the nation in blocks per game, No. 8 in field goal percentage defense and No. 10 in scoring offense and free throws made per game, and ranks in the top-25 nationally in assists, steals and rebounds per game.

For the second consecutive season, USC has recorded at least 23 regular-season wins — a feat last accomplished in 1982-83 and 1983-84 seasons when USC won its back-to-back NCAA titles. USC's 19-1 start to this season was the best since 1981-82, and its 15-game win streak posted this season was the longest since 1982-83.

USC takes on Mississippi State tonight (March 24) at 7 p.m. at Galen Center in the NCAA Second Round.

Once again this year fans will have a say in the determining the winner through the Naismith Awards Fan Vote presented by Jersey Mike's. Starting March 25 fans can visit www.naismithfanvote.com or X (@MarchMadnessWBB) and @naismithtrophy) to cast their ballot for one of these four 2025 Werner Ladder Naismith Coach of the Year finalists. Voting ends at 12 p.m. EDT on April 1 and fans are limited to one vote per day. The fan vote will account for 5% of the total vote.