"When Lindsay Gottlieb looks back on last basketball season, it's impossible not to think of the pressure. The spotlight on USC burned brightly from Day 1 last fall, the whole hoops world seemingly waiting on JuJu Watkins to lift the Trojans to a national title. Everyone within the program felt that weight. Even USC's coach. "Everyone felt we were a national championship contender," Gottlieb said."
"There were lessons learned through that crucible, she admits now, and plenty of things she might do differently. Though no one could've planned for Watkins' knee to buckle awkwardly beneath her in the second round of the NCAA tournament - or for the injury to rob her of the entire next season at USC, throwing a massive wrench into the Trojans' trajectory."
USC faced intense national-title pressure last season with JuJu Watkins as the centerpiece. Watkins suffered a knee injury in the second round of the NCAA tournament and will miss the upcoming season, disrupting the Trojans' trajectory. USC also lost six of its top seven scorers from the Elite Eight team to injury, the WNBA or transfers. The team opened the preseason at No. 18 in the Associated Press poll amid unanswered questions. Preseason rankings are viewed as educated guesses, and the program plans to ignore outside expectations as the season begins against New Mexico State.
Read at Los Angeles Times
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