Fresh faces help South Carolina win battle for ‘The Real SC’ over USC: Takeaways

LOS ANGELES — A year ago, the South Carolina Gamecocks came out west on a similarly rainy November weekend in Southern California and, as the defending champions, got trucked by UCLA. It was the Bruins’ announcement as a national title contender in a season when UCLA made its first NCAA Final Four in program history.

The Gamecocks were supposed to face another team on the rise in their 2025 bicoastal showdown, but JuJu Watkins’ injury in March changed the trajectory of this season’s USC Trojans. In the so-called battle for “The Real SC,” only one team looked the part of title contender in No. 2 South Carolina’s 69-52 win over No. 8 USC.

With only one returning starter, Raven Johnson, the Gamecocks are still learning their pathway to success. Two of Saturday’s other starters, Joyce Edwards and Tessa Johnson, were promoted from bench roles, and two others, Ta’Niya Latson and Madina Okot, are transfers.

Even with new faces, the foundation of this South Carolina squad looks familiar to past iterations: balanced scoring, dominance on the offensive glass and disruptive defense.

The Gamecocks had four players in double figures, forged a 21-10 edge in offensive rebounds and limited USC to 28 points in the paint. Despite South Carolina leading by only two points at halftime, it was a clinical performance by a program that has advanced to the national semifinals in five consecutive tournaments.

This story will be updated.