If you haven’t followed women’s college basketball closely in recent years, but are now ready to dive into women’s hoops because USC has an elite team, welcome! We’re happy you’re here, and we hope you will stay with us for complete coverage of USC women’s basketball this coming season. The Trojans are a Final Four contender. They are No. 3 in the two main preseason polls. If they stay healthy, they will be very good for sure. The question is how great they can become in the Big Ten and on a national level.
The women’s basketball website Swish Appeal broke down the Big Ten women’s basketball race into several tiers. USC is obviously in the top tier, given that the Trojans have been picked to win the conference in preseason polls. An item of interest for USC fans studying up on women’s hoops this year: Which teams are expected to contend with the Trojans at the top of the Big Ten? Swish Appeal offered its own view:
One foremost contender is UCLA, to no one’s surprise. Then come the third and fourth selections in the Big Ten’s top echelon:
Ohio State is ranked No. 14 in the nation and are coming off their first outright Big Ten title since the 2009-10 season. No one is sleeping on the Buckeyes, even if they aren’t being picked by many to repeat as champions. Junior forward Cotie McMahon was named to the Naismith Trophy Women’s College Player of the Year watch list, and head coach Kevin McGuff is coming off a season where he was named Big Ten Coach of the Year.
Last but certainly not least in the first tier is No. 18 Maryland. Terrapin senior guard Shyanne Sellers is box office, and with her in charge, they’ll be an exciting team to watch and one that can upset the best teams in the country on any given game day.
Indiana, voted to finish fifth in the preseason coaches’ poll, is not included in the top tier by Swish Appeal. The Hoosiers have been excellent the past several seasons but have lost crucial players who carried the program.
It will be interesting to see if either Ohio State or Maryland can rise above the Los Angeles schools. It will also be intriguing to see if Indiana or another team not included in the top four can pull off a surprising rise in the Big Ten this season.
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This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Three teams are expected to battle USC women’s basketball for Big Ten title
