It was not the finest night for USC to get rolled over. With their legendary alum Cheryl Miller in attendance with her brother, hall of famer and former Bruins star Reggie Miller, UCLA just dominated with an 80–46 win at Pauley Pavilion. Reggie Miller earned the bragging rights as the rivalry fire was extinguished with little resistance. Toronto Tempo head coach Sandy Brondello was also in attendance, potentially scouting top talent.

On the other hand, Lauren Betts showed why she is a projected top pick in the 2026 draft. The UCLA center finished with 18 points and 12 rebounds, recording a double-double while adding 3 blocks. She suffocated USC near the basket. UCLA’s size advantage was evident all night, outscoring USC 42–10 in the paint and winning the rebounding battle 46–26. That is a long-term problem they need to solve.

“If I’m USC, I’m putting all my energy this offseason into getting a high-level big,” women’s basketball reporter Eden Laase-Derouin wrote. “Their guards will be elite: JuJu Watkins, Kennedy Smith, Jazzy Davidson, and Saniyah Hall. Add a great big to that, and they’re an instant title contender.”

This season, USC will need to work around this flaw, and it’s a big one. Their average height stands at less than six feet per Barttorvik, and against top opponents like UCLA (average height: more than 6’1), they are bound to struggle. Even before this game, USC has struggled with paint play throughout the season so far.

Their defensive rebound percentage stood at 68.5%. They also leak 12.1 offensive rebounds per game, which ranks in the 12th percentile, according to CBB Analytics. They concede 53.3% of their points in the paint, which stands in the 5th percentile, and a whopping 15.1% points on second chance. Coming into this game, UConn, Notre Dame, and South Carolina had already laid the blueprint for attacking USC. And they aren’t even that size-heavy compared to UCLA. 

Now, they can’t suddenly grow taller. So, how can USC solve this problem in the short term?

One option is to start playing faster. Their offense has grown stagnant, playing just 70.3 possessions per 40 minutes. Their outside shooting is lacking as well, shooting 30.4% from beyond the arc. If they stretch the floor and push the offense, Lindsey Gottlieb can find enough counterweight for their size problem.

However, this was the exact reason why Gottlieb prepared a tough schedule for USC. 

Lindsey Gottlieb And USC Don’t Lament The Gruelling Schedule

Non-conference was a blood bath for USC. They faced almost every top team in the country, including South Carolina, Notre Dame, NC State, and UConn. Naturally, they have faced some deflating losses, including the one against UCLA in conference play. Gottlieb had pretty harsh takeaways from their performances against these top teams so far.

“I’ve learned we’ve seen right now in three games that we’re not as competitive as we want to be with the top five teams in the country. We’re not trying to get to be a top 25 or top 15 team. We’re trying to be the national champions,” She said.

“So, I’m sorry we’ve scheduled them all, but you have to learn from where we have made strides and where we haven’t, and we’ve fallen short in those games. I’m not trying to kid ourselves or pat our stats and just play whoever and think we’re as good as we need to be.”

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It’s better to be exposed in early conference play and non-conference play than in the first round of the NCAA tournament. The goal is to finish at the absolute top. To do that, Gottlieb needs to make some adjustments because they are not currently playing to their strengths. With this wake-up call, USC heads back to the drawing board, hoping to respond against the Oregon Ducks on Tuesday.