| Mode: | Women's basketball |
| Year: | 2021–22 |
| Prev Year: | 2020–21 |
| Next Year: | 2022–23 |
| Team: | USC Trojans |
| Conference: | Pac-12 Conference |
| Short Conf: | Pac-12 |
| Record: | 12–16 |
| Conf Record: | 5–12 |
| Hc Year: | 1st |
| Asst Coach2: | Danyelle Grant (1st season) |
| Asst Coach3: | Wendale Farrow (1st season) |
| Asst Coach4: | Nneka Enemkpali (1st season) |
The 2021–22 USC Trojans women's basketball team represents the University of Southern California during the 2021–22 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Trojans play their home games at the Galen Center and are members of the Pac-12 Conference. The squad is led by first-year head coach Lindsay Gottlieb, who was hired on May 10, 2021.[1] Prior to arriving at USC, Gottlieb served as an assistant coach for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Her previous head coaching experience includes stops at California, whom she led to the Final Four in 2013, and UC Santa Barbara.
The 2020-21 USC Trojans women's basketball team finished with an overall record of 10-11 and a 8-10 conference record. They earned the 8th seed in the 2021 Pac-12 Conference women's basketball tournament. They topped Arizona State in the first round before falling in the quarterfinals to top-seeded Stanford, who won the tournament as well as the NCAA Championship.
After the season, head coach Mark Trakh announced his retirement. Members of his coaching staff found jobs elsewhere like Aarika Hughes who took the head coaching job at Loyola Marymount. Athletic Director Mike Bohn hired Gottlieb shortly after Trakh's retirement and commented that the Athletics Department would truly invest in the storied women's basketball program.[2]
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Year | Hometown | Reason for Departure | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shalexxus Aaron | 1 | G | 6'1" | RS Sophomore | Transferred to Syracuse | ||
| Endyia Rogers | 5 | G | 5'7" | Sophomore | Transferred to Oregon |
This season, the Women of Troy bring in the seventh-ranked recruiting class.
| Name | Overall Rank | Position | Position Rank | Hometown | High School | Height | ESPN Stars | ESPN Grade | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clarice Akunwafo | 21 | F | 2 | Rolling Hills Prep | 6'5" | 4 | 95 | ||
| Rayah Marshall | 27 | G | 10 | Los Angeles, CA | 6'3" | 4 | 94 | ||
| Isabella Perkins | G | 34 | Paul VI HS | 5'8" | 3 | 89 |
|-!colspan=9 style=| Non-conference regular season|-!colspan=9 style=| Pac-12 regular season|-!colspan=9 style=| Pac-12 Women's TournamentSource:[4]
See also: 2021–22 NCAA Division I women's basketball rankings. *The preseason and week 1 polls were the same.
^Coaches did not release a week 2 poll.