USC Women's Basketball Eyes Key Road Wins

Trojans look to build on recent home victories against Northwestern and Illinois

Feb. 4, 2026 at 4:15pm

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The USC women's basketball team is set to embark on a crucial road trip, facing off against Northwestern and Illinois in Big Ten Conference play. Buoyed by two recent home wins, the Trojans (13-9 overall, 5-6 Big Ten) aim to pick up valuable victories and climb the standings, as well as improve their NET ranking.

Why it matters

This road trip presents an opportunity for the Trojans to solidify their position in the middle of the Big Ten standings and potentially boost their NCAA Tournament resume through quality wins. A strong showing could help USC build momentum heading into the final stretch of the regular season.

The details

USC is one of five teams currently tied for fifth place in the Big Ten at 5-6. The Trojans are ranked 20th in the NCAA's NET rankings, which take into account factors like game results, strength of schedule, and efficiency. After rebounding from a four-game losing streak, USC looks to finish the regular season strong, starting with Thursday's matchup against Northwestern (8-14, 2-9) and Sunday's game against Illinois (16-6, 6-5).

  • The Trojans face Northwestern on Thursday, February 6, 2026 at 6 p.m. PT.
  • USC then takes on Illinois on Sunday, February 9, 2026.

The players

Lindsay Gottlieb

USC women's basketball head coach.

Grace Sullivan

Northwestern's 6-foot-4 forward, the third-best scorer in the Big Ten with 22.4 points per game and a 51.2% field goal percentage.

Cearah Parchment

Illinois forward who had 20 points and 10 rebounds in the Illini's recent win over No. 24 Washington.

Shauna Green

Illinois women's basketball head coach.

Kennedy Smith

USC's 6-foot-1 sophomore guard, a key facilitator in the Trojans' offense.

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What they’re saying

“Really excited to build from here. This is a fun group. They've stayed locked in, super coachable. Love the mentality. I thought we didn't have our 'A' game offensively tonight, but we definitely had our 'A' game with toughness.”

— Lindsay Gottlieb, USC Women's Basketball Head Coach

“She's such a hard guard because we can pick and pop her. We can post her up and when she rebounds like that and offensive rebounds like that – she made so many game-winning plays. We talk about that all the time – how do you impact winning? And she sure is impacting winning a lot for us.”

— Shauna Green, Illinois Women's Basketball Head Coach

“Consistency and growth. That's been a topic of discussion. We had that losing streak, so it's just staying together, wanting to grow in every aspect of the game, whether that's communication or wanting to be better.”

— Kennedy Smith, USC Women's Basketball Guard

What’s next

The judge in the case will decide on Tuesday whether or not to allow Walker Reed Quinn out on bail.

The takeaway

This road trip is a crucial opportunity for the USC women's basketball team to solidify their standing in the Big Ten and potentially boost their NCAA Tournament resume. A strong showing against Northwestern and Illinois could provide valuable momentum heading into the final stretch of the regular season.