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The No. 18 USC Trojans are playing this season without star JuJu Watkins, who tore her ACL in the NCAA tournament last spring, but their first big test resulted in a gusty 69-68 win against No. 9 NC State on Sunday. The game was by no means perfect, but it showed the potential of Lindsay Gottlieb's squad and could be a confidence builder as USC takes on South Carolina next weekend.

The Wolfpack is a very young group with no seniors on the roster, but it came into the 2025 Ally Tipoff game against USC on the coattails of an 80-77 win over No. 8 Tennessee in its season opener on Tuesday. 

Gottlieb knows the Trojans are still adjusting to the absence of Watkins and other key players from last season. However, the coach likes what she sees from her players so far.

"Everybody's sort of in a new role," Gottlieb said on Sunday. "We just think it's a great opportunity for others. This is the way we want to play. We want to play fast and fluid. We're trying to play a more open, pro-style offense, where there's a lot of reads and options and putting people in different spots. We're always going to play hard and tenaciously on the defensive end and want to play fast and all the different things. 

"And I think that's what the players bought into. But there's also different people in new roles and opportunities and that's a lot to take on. From someone in their first college game, to someone in their first time in a USC uniform being asked to take on a lot more, which is a great, awesome opportunity. I love coaching us, but I think we've got a lot of growing to do as well, which is exciting."

After an 87-48 win against New Mexico State in their season opener and the AP Top 10 win over NC State, the Trojans are 2-0. This might not be a team ready to compete for a national championship yet, but there are some good things we have seen from the Trojans so far.

Jazzy Davidson is as good as advertised

Davidson, the No. 3 player of the class of 2025, arrived in Los Angeles with high expectations due to her high basketball IQ, quickness and versatility. She has the skills of a guard, while her 6-foot-1 height helps her as a defender on the perimeter.

She went just 5 of 26 from the field in her first three halves as a Trojan. However, she continued helping in other ways while her shots were not falling. She properly introduced herself to college basketball in the second half against NC State, when she started 4 of 4 from the field while still maintaining her defensive intensity. 

The freshman, who is mentored by Watkins, did a little bit of everything in the Trojans' win against the Wolfpack. She scored a team-high 21 points, along with four rebounds, four assists, three steals and five blocks. 

"I'm just blessed with amazing coaches and teammates," Davidson said on Sunday. "They really keep me grounded in situations like that, when my shots are not falling as much as I'd like it to, and I'm just really grateful for them."

Londynn Jones might be an X factor

X factor, spark, call it whatever you want. The fact is that UCLA transfer Londynn Jones has been impactful in her first two games as a Trojan. Against NMSU, Jones went 0 for 3 from beyond the arc but still shot over 54% from the field to contribute 16 points. On Sunday, she scored 19 points while being the spark that kept USC competitive in the first half when hardly anybody else could buy a shot.

Jones was a starter with the Bruins but has so far come off the bench for the Trojans. During the 2023-24 season, Jones set UCLA's single-season record for 3-pointers made with 87. She hasn't been the most efficient shooter in her college career --- she hasn't had a season in which she shoots over 37% from the field or averaged more than 12 points per game -- but the potential for her to make a significant impact on this roster is certainly there. 

"I think practice is never enough," the senior said on Sunday. "I think that what you do in practice, you kind of see what you can work on, what you need to get better at. I think just film, we have a lot of film sessions, so just understanding that he work that's being put in. When you're putting it in work, getting the reps, it comes naturally and you don't really have to think about it."

Kennedy Smith is still impactful 

Smith started 28 games for the Trojans last season and was expected to be the team's key returner in this rebuilding year. She shot over 41% from the field as a freshman while averaging 9.5 points per game and leading the team in steals. 

The shots haven't been falling for her early in her sophomore year, as she has gone 7 of 26 in the first two games. Despite those struggles, she was still one of the top contributors on Sunday with 10 points and 8 rebounds. She made back-to-back layups halfway through the fourth quarter while USC was coming back from a double-digit deficit. She also got the assist for Davidson's game winner. 

"I think what makes Kennedy such an elite player is that she can impact the game without scoring," Gottlieb said. "We know she's capable of scoring, and I think she had a couple of really critical buckets down the stretch. But she's unique in that she makes other elite players better. She could have the ball in her hands and feel the defense and spray it. 

"She can score inside and out and we know she's capable of making shots, and those shots will fall. But she's taking on a lot more in only her sophomore year, trying to get the ball to be a playmaker and a shot distributor and scorer. But she's elite defensively, she's all over the boards. And just a competitiveness about her that I think other people are like, 'okay, we can get a stop. We can make a play no matter what's happening on the offensive end.'"