Thursday's Iowa vs USC matchup produced a major upset, as Iowa women's basketball suffered its first Big Ten loss of the season, falling 81-69 at Galen Center in Los Angeles.
The No. 8 Hawkeyes entered the highly anticipated NCAA showdown as the Big Ten's only undefeated team. The Hawkeyes have dominated conference opponents all season, making unranked USC's comprehensive victory even more shocking.
Iowa women's basketball ran the 2025/26 Big Ten table until Thursday's setback against the struggling Trojans. USC lost six of their last seven games prior to the Iowa vs USC clash — and making them an unlikely candidates to hand Iowa women's basketball its first Big Ten loss.
The game represented a signature opportunity for USC head coach Lindsay Gottlieb's squad. The Trojans delivered their most complete performance this year, controlling the contest from start to finish while never allowing foul-afflicted Iowa to establish a rhythm.
Gottlieb praised her team's efforts afterwards, noting that USC has improved considerably and needs to continue demonstrating that consistent growth.
"Obviously a big win for us on so many levels. Iowa was undefeated in conference so far," she said postgame. "I'm so proud of our team. Great performances across the board."
For Iowa women's basketball, the defeat served as a setback to an otherwise dominant campaign. The Hawkeyes will need to regroup quickly, as Big Ten play continues to ramp up ahead of March's conference championship.
While Iowa remains a Top 10 program, the Iowa vs USC outcome will force the Hawkeyes to reassess their approach as they look to pursue a deep postseason run.
Another unbeaten NCAA basketball team fell over the weekend, as No. 2 Texas suffered their first loss of the 2025/26 season at the hands of No. 12 LSU on Sunday.
Junior guard Mikaylah Williams led LSU with 20 points, with five Tigers registering double-digit points en route to the team's first win over an AP Top-2 opponent since 2008.
"They played much harder than we did, and they were way tougher than we were," Texas head coach Vic Schaefer said after the 70-65 defeat. "By far our worst game of the year, and we'll give them credit for that."
Just three Division I teams remain undefeated in the 2025/26 campaign — No. 1 UConn, No. 7 Vanderbilt, and No. 17 Texas Tech — with high-profile upsets continuing to shake up college basketball's top ranks.
Sunday also saw unranked West Virginia hand No. 11 Iowa State their third straight loss in an 83-70 upset, while No. 19 Ohio State took down No. 8 Maryland 89-76 and unranked Minnesota shocked No. 21 USC 63-62.
"I think we have a lot of potential to be really good, but not if we don't figure some things out," said USC head coach Lindsay Gottlieb, after the Trojans went 0-2 against unranked programs over the last week — leaving the team still hunting their first win in 2026.
How to watch Texas women's basketball this week
The No. 2 Longhorns don't have much time to regroup from their season's first loss, as Texas prepares to visit fellow SEC titan No. 3 South Carolina on Thursday.
The clash will tip off live at 7 PM ET on ESPN2.
The No. 16 USC Trojans are gearing up for another top-ranked test, hosting the reigning national champion No. 1 UConn Huskies in the weekend's flashiest NCAA women's basketball matchup on Saturday.
Coming off their second ranked win of the season, USC topped No. 20 Washington 59-50 last Sunday, with 22 points and 12 rebounds from freshman Jazzy Davidson helping pull the Trojans to a 7-2 record.
"I saw a resolve in our team," said head coach Lindsay Gottlieb afterwards. "I knew we could get the next stop, I knew we could get the next play."
USC will face a particularly familiar foe against the Huskies — this time without sidelined star junior JuJu Watkins — after UConn knocked the Trojans out of the NCAA tournament two years in a row.
Notably, sophomore guard Kayleigh Heckel departed USC over the summer for the Huskies, with the former Trojan averaging 7.7 points per game entering Saturday's clash with her old team.
"I just try to take one game at a time, but I'm excited to go back," Heckel said ahead of her first trip back to LA since transferring. "I had a great freshman year there, and I learned a lot, and it was a great experience, a lot of fond memories. So I'm looking forward to it."
How to watch No. 1 UConn vs. No. 16 USC on Saturday
The Trojans will host the Huskies with tip-off set for 5:30 PM ET on Saturday.
Live coverage of the clash will air on FOX.
South Carolina and USC are bringing fireworks to the 2025/26 NCAA basketball court this weekend, as the No. 2 Gamecocks take on the No. 8 Trojans in "The Real SC" showdown on Saturday.
Both standout programs enter the matchup undefeated in early-season play, with the Trojans touting a Top-10 win after narrowly edging out No. 10 NC State 69-68 last weekend.
"You don't know exactly what you have until you're put in these situations, which is why we schedule them," USC head coach Lindsay Gottlieb said about the upcoming clash. "And I think it's a chance for us to redefine our identity a little bit."
South Carolina's depth will likely test the new-look Trojans, as USC aims to solidify their identity with star JuJu Watkins sidelined with injury for the season.
That said, freshman Jazzy Davidson is giving the Trojans new life, with the No. 1 high school recruit co-leading the team in scoring with 17.5 points per game.
South Carolina, however, has seen early dividends from familiar faces, as sophomore Joyce Edwards leads the Gamecocks in scoring at 18.3 points per game, with high-profile transfer Ta'Niya Latson close behind with a 16.3 point average.
How to watch USC vs. South Carolina in the "The Real SC" NCAA game
No. 8 USC will welcome No. 2 South Carolina to LA's Crypto.com Arena for the inaugural "Real SC" game on Saturday.
The clash will tip off at 9 PM ET, with live coverage airing on FOX.
USC basketball star JuJu Watkins won't take the court this year, with the junior guard announcing Sunday that she'll miss the entire 2025/26 NCAA season while continuing to recover from injury.
"These last few months have been filled with a lot of healing, rest, and reflection," Watkins posted to social media on Sunday. "Following the advice of my doctors and trainers, I will sit out this season and fully focus on continuing to recover so I can come back to the game I love."
Watkins tore her right ACL in the second-round of the 2024/25 NCAA tournament, just days after earning her second straight All-American nod.
The reigning Player of the Year's 23.9 points per game and 6.8 rebounds per game were instrumental in leading the Trojans to the 2024/25 Big Ten regular-season title.
Though ACL recovery timelines can vary, recent history has shown that taking a measured, methodical approach can make an athlete's return even more powerful — an outcome that Watkins is clearly banking on.
While Watkins remains key to the longterm USC game plan, the Trojans' 2025/26 season hopes are still very much alive on the heels of back-to-back Elite Eight appearances.
That said, with the additional loss of USC alums Kiki Iriafen and Rayah Marshall to the WNBA, there are big shoes to fill on the roster — though the Trojans did snag this year's No. 1 high school recruit Jasmine "Jazzy" Davidson to boost their lineup this season.
"While we will certainly miss her impact on the court, [Watkins] continues to play a vital role in our program as a leader and teammate," said USC manager Lindsay Gottlieb. "The strength and maturity she has shown through this process is a reflection of who she is, and we know the Trojan Family will continue to rally behind her."
USC star sophomore JuJu Watkins suffered a serious injury in the No. 1-seed Trojans’ second-round March Madness win over No. 9-seed Mississippi State on Monday, putting a dismal stamp on the final day of the 2024/25 NCAA tournament's first weekend.
After taking contact from two defenders midway through the first quarter, a visibly distraught Watkins crumbled to the court with a season-ending ACL tear in her right knee. The season's second-leading Division I scorer will soon undergo surgery before beginning rehabilitation.
"I'd be lying if I told you I wasn’t rattled seeing JuJu lying on the floor and crying," said USC head coach Lindsay Gottlieb afterwards. "This is a human game, so I obviously tried my best to be what I need to be for the team, but internally it’s a lot."
The arena mirrored Gottlieb's reaction, a testament to Watkins's impact on the USC community.
"You cannot tell me the energy of that crowd, and how sort of angry they were with the other team, and how much fire they showed for our team, is so much about what JuJu has given to this arena, to this program, to the city," added Gottlieb. "And you just want to give it all back."
A National Player of the Year frontrunner, Watkins’s injury will reverberate throughout USC’s tournament run, as the Trojans stare down a potential Elite Eight rematch with surging No. 2-seed UConn.
Trojans step up after Watkins injury
After seeing their teammate carried off the court, USC regrouped in a big way, converting their early 13-2 lead into a 96-59 blowout victory over the Bulldogs to clinch a spot in the Sweet 16.
In light of the Watkins injury, star transfer forward Kiki Iriafen took charge, putting up a season-high 36 points and nearly notching a double-double by adding nine rebounds to her stat sheet.
Also taking up Watkins' mantle were a pair of freshmen guards, Avery Howell and Kayleigh Heckel, who came off the bench to add 18 and 13 points, respectively.
The added emotional tenacity the Trojans displayed was not lost on Gottlieb, who thanked her team in a post-game locker room address.
"I will never forget this game for as long as I live," the USC coach told her players. "You guys did something really special today."
"I have to say it with a calm face and tell you how incredibly proud I am of the way you stepped up for one another...it was a tidal wave of a team."
Top NCAA tournament seeds dominate Sweet 16 berths
Ultimately, losing Watkins is a devastating blow not just to USC, but to college basketball at large, radically reshaping the competitive landscape as March Madness gears up for next weekend's Sweet 16 round.
Monday's final buzzer officially set that field, locking in every team seeded No. 3 and above, plus one No. 4 seed and a trio of No. 5 seeds.
In a day void of upsets, seven of Monday's games averaged a wide 28-point margin of victory. The lone outlier was Maryland's bombshell victory, as the Terps booked their Sweet 16 spot in an instant classic game against No. 5-seed Alabama.
After the Terrapins rallied from a 17-point third-quarter deficit to push the game into overtime, Tide fifth-year guard Sarah Ashlee Barker forced double-overtime with a trio of free throws.
Though the Terps ultimately emerged with the 111-108 victory, Barker set records, notching a career-high 45 points — the most by any SEC athlete and the fourth-most by any Division I player in March Madness history.
"It didn't go our way but, at the end of the day, I'm gonna walk out and hold [my] head high," said Barker about the game that capped her NCAA career. "If you're a women's basketball fan, or anybody that loves basketball, I think that every single person could say that that was one of the best games they've ever watched."
With games between the NCAA's best stacking next weekend's Sweet 16 slate, this year's March Madness tournament is could see even more blockbuster clashes.
The 2024/25 NCAA basketball tournament bracket is officially locked in, as Selection Sunday saw March Madness favorites, underdogs, and a few surprises claim their tickets to the Big Dance.
After winning the Big Ten tournament one week prior, UCLA not only earned the NCAA competition's overall top spot, but the Bruins claimed their first-ever No. 1 seed in program history.
Sitting atop the three other quadrants are SEC tournament title-winners and NCAA defending champions South Carolina as well as conference runners-up Texas and USC, giving both the SEC and Big Ten two of the tournament's top contenders.
Chasing the four top teams as No. 2 seeds are Big 12 tournament champs TCU, ACC tournament winners Duke, ACC runners-up NC State, and Big East champions UConn, whose late-season momentum wasn't quite enough to life the Huskies above a second-spot bid.
In a season that saw a record-tying four teams reach No. 1 in the AP Poll, three (UCLA, South Carolina, and Texas) claimed NCAA No. 1 seeds, with once-No. 1 ranked Notre Dame falling out of top-seed contention after losing three of their last five games.
The Irish will now tip off their March Madness campaign as a No. 3 seed alongside 2022/23 NCAA champs LSU, North Carolina, and Oklahoma.
Snagging the tournament's last hosting spots are the No. 4 seeds, meaning Ohio State, Kentucky, Baylor, and Maryland will all have home-court advantage through the competition’s first two rounds.
Coaches question NCAA committee's seeding decisions
While some teams were thrilled with their placements, a tinge of disappointment overshadowed other top contenders’ watch parties.
"I never thought I'd be a No. 1 seed and feel disrespected," said USC head coach Lindsay Gottlieb after learning the NCAA committee awarded the Trojans the last top seed, ranking them fourth overall.
"It's not an arrogance of any kind, I think that there's a lot of really good teams...but I would love to ask [this committee] some questions."
Head coach Dawn Staley had a similar reaction to South Carolina's positioning, saying "I'm a little bit surprised."
"I'd like to get some feedback on how they came to that conclusion," said Staley. "We put together, manufactured, a schedule that — if done right — should produce the overall No. 1 seed."
The NCAA committee broke down their determination of the Gamecocks on ESPN, explaining that South Carolina’s head-to-head November loss to UCLA plus last month's 29-point nonconference defeat at the hands of UConn played major roles in the decision.
Despite the disappointment, Gottlieb says her team is ready to take care of business.
"You've gotta play the first game in front of you and earn your way from there, and that's what we'll do."
Big Ten makes NCAA March Madness bracket history
With 12 teams booking spots in the Big Dance, the Big Ten not only earned the season’s most NCAA tournament bids, it also smashed the Division I record for the most programs in a single conference to make a March Madness bracket.
With a conference-record 10 teams, the SEC closely followed the Big Ten, while eight ACC squads and seven Big 12 programs round out the Power Four's 37 total berths.
Also experiencing a record-setting Selection Sunday was the Ivy League, which saw three teams sneak into the competition for the first time in the eight-program conference's history.
After upsetting their way through last weekend's conference competition, Ivy League tournament champions Harvard secured a No. 10 seed on Sunday, while both Columbia and Princeton have a shot at snagging a No. 11 seed as contenders in the NCAA's First Four games.
Dancing for the first time are six teams, with Arkansas State, Fairleigh Dickinson, George Mason, Grand Canyon, UC San Diego, and William & Mary all set to make their NCAA tournament debuts later this week.
To be the best, teams must beat the best, and the talent concentrated at the top of the NCAA bracket — regardless of seeding — is guaranteed to make for some tough competition.
How to watch the First Four March Madness games
While the the official first round of the 2024/25 NCAA basketball tournament doesn't begin until Friday, the March Madness action will tip off with the First Four round on Wednesday, when eight teams will battle for the final four spots in the 64-team bracket.
Stepping into Wednesday's spotlight are Princeton and Iowa State, who will take the court at 7 PM ET before UC San Diego takes on Southern at 9 PM ET.
Then on Thursday, Washington will face Columbia at 7 PM ET, with William & Mary's match against High Point wrapping up the First Four round at 9 PM ET.
The Huskies' Thursday clash with the Lions will air live on ESPN2, with the other three First Four games earning live coverage on ESPNU.
Print complete NCAA Women's March Madness bracket
With less than three weeks left in NCAA basketball regular-season play, the final games will determine the winner of the Big Ten — a title that's increasingly likely to land in Los Angeles.
Already sitting atop their conference compatriots by at least two wins, No. 1 UCLA and No. 6 USC will meet for the first of two season clashes on Thursday, before closing out NCAA play against each other on March 1st.
The crosstown rivals are vying for a first-ever Big Ten regular-season title after joining the historically Midwest conference in 2024.
The games will feature two of the sport's biggest stars, as USC sophomore JuJu Watkins and UCLA junior Lauren Betts square off for the first time since their 2024 Pac-12 Tournament semifinal, when the eventual champion Trojans needed two overtime periods to outlast the Bruins.
This season, however, UCLA has an slight advantage over the Trojans. While the Bruins remain the only unbeaten Division I team left standing, USC has two defeats on their 2024/25 record, including a lone conference loss to unranked Iowa in early February.
That said, a Thursday home win would pull the Trojans even with UCLA at 11-1 on the Big Ten table, setting up a photo finish with the coveted No. 1 seed in March's conference tournament on the line.
"[UCLA is] a team that clearly has it clicking right now," USC head coach Lindsay Gottlieb told ESPN. "We know there'll be a lot of pride on the line."
NCAA National Player of the Year race heats up
Watkins and Betts aren't just making moves on the court this week. Both stars also made the John R. Wooden Award's 20-player late midseason watch list, which spotlights the athletes on track to vie for this season's overall best college basketball player honor.
Along with the SoCal standouts, Tuesday's list included Notre Dame guards Hannah Hidalgo and Olivia Miles, Texas sophomore Madison Booker, LSU stars Aneesah Morrow and Flau'jae Johnson, and UConn senior Paige Bueckers, who became the award's first-ever freshman winner back in 2021.
Notably, a pair of true freshmen could follow in Bueckers' footsteps, with both fellow Husky Sarah Strong and Vanderbilt guard Mikayla Blakes earning nods.
Though unlisted players remain eligible for the eventual 15-athlete ballot, these 20 represent the likeliest to follow in back-to-back Wooden winner Caitlin Clark's footsteps.
On the other hand, the Naismith Awards — the other leading NCAA honor — dropped its official positional shortlists last week, with 10 nominees in the running for each of the five awards. The 10-player lists will shrink to five finalists for each honor in March, and fans are currently eligible to vote on who makes that final cut.
Nearly all of the athletes on the Wooden Award's radar are also in the running for their respective Naismith honor.
How to watch Thursday's Top-10 NCAA basketball matchups
Players on both the Wooden and Naismith lists will feature in Thursday's top NCAA basketball matchups.
With Big Ten dominance on the line, Lauren Betts and No. 1 UCLA will visit JuJu Watkins and No. 6 USC at 10 PM ET, streaming exclusively on Peacock.
Meanwhile in the SEC, Madison Booker's No. 3 Texas squad will take on a No. 8 Kentucky team reeling from an upset loss to Ole Miss on Monday. Fellow Wooden watch list and Naismith nominee Georgia Amoore will try to lead the Wildcats past the Longhorns at 7 PM ET, with live coverage on ESPN2.
Fans who packed Iowa's Carver-Hawkeye Arena for WNBA superstar Caitlin Clark's jersey retirement snagged an additional treat on Sunday, as unranked Iowa upset No. 4 USC 76-69 to record their first Top 10 win in the post-Clark era.
Transfer guard Lucy Olsen led the Hawkeyes with 28 points, eclipsing USC sophomore superstar JuJu Watkins's 27 points. Overall, Iowa's defense held the Trojans to a low 35.4% from the field to clinch the upset win.
Despite suffering their second loss of the season, the full USC contingent remained on the court to witness Clark's No. 22 jersey rise into the rafters.
"I'm really impressed with the atmosphere here," USC head coach Lindsay Gottlieb said after the game. "We had decided prior to the outcome of the game that we were going to stay out there to honor her and women's basketball."
"We get to write our own story but are part of a synergy around women’s basketball that has in many ways, emanated from here," Gottlieb continued. "Congratulations to her. There's nothing I could say that hasn't been said. But the respect she's shown us, the humanity she's shown us, I'm definitely a fan."
South Carolina hangs up Wilson's No. 22 jersey
Another legendary No. 22 earned a Sunday celebration in South Carolina. Before taking down Auburn 83-66, the No. 2 Gamecocks retired three-time WNBA champion A'ja Wilson's jersey.
The athletic department's policy doesn't retire numbers even if a jersey is enters the rafters. However, coach Dawn Staley has clarified that no other Gamecock on the women's basketball team will ever wear No. 22.
Wilson arguably put South Carolina's program on the national map. Before becoming a three-time WNBA MVP, she was South Carolina's first-ever four-time All-American. She helped the Gamecocks to a program-first national championship in 2017, just two seasons after making their first Final Four. The 2018 National Player of the Year is still the team's all-time leader for both points (2,389) and blocks (363).
South Carolina has a five-year waiting period before former athletes can see their jersey retired. Frustrated with that policy, Staley helped push the building of Wilson's statue, which earned a spot on campus in 2021.
"I'm happy we are able to give her her flowers at such a young age where she'll be able to smell them for a very long time," Staley commented on Sunday.
That said, even Staley acknowledged that Wilson has a lot more to give to the sport.
"Everything that she's wanted to do and accomplish she has done, and she's only 28 years old. She's not even in her prime yet," she noted.
Sunday's ceremony seemed to add fuel to Wilson's drive, with the icon telling the crowd in Columbia, "As I look in the rafters and see my jersey, I am reminded how important it is to chase your dreams without fear."