NCAA Women's Tournament: Previewing No. 8 USC vs. No. 9 South Dakota State

For the first time since 2014, the USC women's basketball team is back in the NCAA Tournament

For the first time since 2014, the USC women's basketball team is back in the NCAA Tournament. The Trojans earned a No. 8 seed and will play No. 9 seed South Dakota State in the first round on Friday at 5 pm in Blacksburg, Va. 

Let's dive into the matchup!

TEAM INFO

USC went 21-9 and 11-7 in the Pac-12, finishing in sixth place in the conference. The Trojans lost in the first round of the Pac-12 Tournament 56-48 to Oregon State. 

South Dakota State enters the NCAA Tournament with a 28-5 record. The Jackrabbits went 18-0 in the Summit League and also won their conference tournament. South Dakota State won 19 of its 21 games against conference foes by double digits. Last year, the Jackrabbits won the Women's NIT Tournament.

USC is currently No. 31 in the NCAA's NET Rankings and South Dakota State is No. 34.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Three USC players average double digit scoring outputs: Kadi Sissoko scores 15.6 points per game, Destiny Littleton puts in 13.8 points per game and Rayah Marshall averages 12.6 points and 11.4 rebounds per game. Marshall also has 91 blocks on the season, which is more than double the number of blocks of any player on South Dakota State. Marshall's 11.4 rebounds per game rank eighth in the country and her 91 blocks rank fifth.

Four South Dakota State players score in double figures. Myah Selland leads the Jackrabbits with 15.7 points per game. Haleigh Timmer averages 12.3 points per game, Paiton Burckhard puts in 10.7 points per game and Paige Meyer averages 10.1 points per game. 

KEY TEAM STATS

South Dakota State scores 79.4 points per game, the 12th highest average in the country. USC's opponents score 54.8 points per game, the 17th lowest total nationally. 

Something has to give on Friday...

South Dakota State's 47.97% team field goal percentage ranks fifth in the nation and the team's 1.29 assist to turnover ratio ranks 13th.

USC's opponents shoot 35.4% from the field, which ranks 11th in the nation. South Dakota State's shoot 37.3%, which is good for 49th in the country. 

South Dakota State shoots 21.94 free throws per game, which ranks 16th nationally. The Jackrabbits have made 72% of their free throws. USC's made 73% of theirs, but the Trojans don't get to the line as frequently averaging 13.5 free throws per game. 

South Dakota State's 10.3 rebounding margin is the sixth best mark in the country. 

COACHING MATCHUP

It's a great one.

South Dakota State's Aaron Johnson has coached at the school for 23 years and qualified for ten NCAA Tournaments since the program moved up to Division 1 in 2004-05. He's earned Summit League Coach of the Year honors six times. 

USC's Lindsay Gottlieb is in her second year leading the Trojans. She brought Cal to the program's only Final Four in 2013 and also won two Big West championships when she coached at UC Santa Barbara. From 2019-2021, Gottlieb was as an assistant coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers.

PREDICTION

Expect this game to be close. USC is much bigger and plays better defense, but South Dakota State has more offensive prowess. We think Marshall will be the x-factor for the Trojans down low.

USC 68, South Dakota State 66