There are certain unique qualities that USC can take advantage of by being on the West Coast. The latest instance of this will take place on December 21 of this year at the Chase Center. Normally, the home of the Golden State Warriors and Golden State Valkyries, USC will play Cal, and Stanford will play Oregon during the Bay Area Women's Classic.
For coach Lindsay Gottlieb, it will be another great opportunity for a national audience to get an early glimpse of how good this overall roster can be. The players are the main beneficiaries of this, being able to play in the well-established NBA arena and having the chance to see what the even brighter lights can look like at the next level.
Their playing at Cal is no longer an annual matchup since the Trojans' move to the Big Ten. This type of event, with the focus being on the regional squads, does give something of a nod to the old Pac-12 crowd.
In many ways, this provides an unconventional challenge to look forward to with this USC team.
Fitting change includes USC
Last season saw the first inception of this event. The 2024 version had Ohio State play Stanford and Creighton face UCLA. Now with the Bay Area Women's Classic sticking with teams from the Pac-12 of old, there is a little more of an authentic feel for something that has 'Bay Area' in its title, compared to the inclusion of a side from the Midwest at least.
Regardless of who their opponent would end up being, coach Gottlieb would undoubtedly treat this game in terms of the overall approach as any other, as the Trojans' head coach will look to repeat last year's success and continue to build on it. It is a nice touch, though, that the game is also being held at the Chase Center.