Record broken in overlooked aspect from USC's Round of 32 win

Injuries happen, and as USC women's basketball coach Lindsay Gottlieb expressed, the need for the next person to step up has to be more than a catchphrase. In these types of situations, players see increased running time on the court, and the top of the rotation sees an immediately added responsibility.

When at a top program, however, there are plenty of good options to turn to. After JuJu Watkins was lost in the Trojan's 96-59 win over Mississippi State in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, Kiki Ifriafen showed what the offense can look like when it's running through her and put on a masterful display. Although not quite the same as Watkins, she too finds ways to get to her spot and take advantage of mismatches.

Her low post ability and footwork give a different element for defenses to adjust to and try to stop. Focusing more on a frontcourt style of play gives Ifriafen the ability to punish the other team in the post more frequently. It also opens up looks for her teammates on the perimeter, of which she then has plenty of more than-capable shooters to pass the ball out to.

As could be seen against Mississippi State, the half-court sets still looked top-tier in college basketball, even without arguably the best player in Watkins. Players like Talia von Oelhoffen helped the offense run smoothly as she worked herself to a strong six-assist night. 

A lot of those dishes went to Ifriafen, who had herself a career night and achieved a significant milestone that went largely overlooked on the evening. The senior scored 36 points, which firstly allowed the Trojans to balloon their lead to a very comfortable win over the Bulldogs, but it also set a record.

Her 16-of-22 performance only saw one three-point shot. The damage was done in the paint and midrange. With that outing, she surpassed Women of Troy legend Paula McGee. In 1982, a USC player, whose jersey has since been retired, set an NCAA tournament record by scoring 31 points. This scoring total remained the highest for the USC program in March Madness for over 40 years.

Now in 2025, Ifriafen will need to have similar high-impact games in order for this coach Gottlieb group to be the last ones left standing this year. In a highly competitive field at the top, it was going to be difficult regardless. With the Stanford transfer, however, fans saw that the team is in great hands. The collective punch from everyone else also was able to put on one of the more impressive post-season wins on the tourney so far.

Immediate focus for USC women's basketball

Now slated to face a good Kansas State Wildcats group on Saturday, the Trojans will look to prove that their latest winning effort can be duplicated. In a sense, they are currently playing with house money. An exit from the tournament now would be overshadowed by the Watkins injury. Progressing further would show how good the rest of the players are within this coach Gottlieb scheme.

For the players in the locker room, however, this likely won't enter the forefront of their minds at all. Naturally, there will always be an element of playing for someone whose season prematurely came to an end. The focus now, though, will be on getting ready for their next opponents. With a little bit of a push, maybe the USC women's basketball faithful will see Ifriafen push for the record that is now held by her again.