USC, No. 1 South Carolina struggle on NCAA opening day - ESPN

Women's college basketball is officially back, and we've got you covered through the opening day of games.

The first matchup set a high standard for the rest, as No. 3 USC narrowly escaped an upset in its 2024-25 season opener. The Trojans, who led by as many as 15 points in the third quarter, held off No. 20 Ole Miss 68-66 on Monday in the opening game of the Oui-Play event in Paris.

The Trojans had barely trailed until the 5:22 mark, when the Rebels rallied to take their first lead of the second half. Ole Miss led 64-60 with 2:23 remaining, but USC hit its final eight free throws to seal the win.

USC sophomore JuJu Watkins, one of the front-runners for national player of the year, had 27 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists and 5 blocks but also committed 9 turnovers.

USC's Kiki Iriafen, who transferred from Stanford in the offseason, hit the winning foul shots with nine seconds to play. She finished with 22 points and 13 rebounds. KK Deans led Ole Miss with 19 points, including four 3-pointers.

Monday's schedule included 16 games featuring AP Top 25 teams. No. 1-ranked South Carolina opened its title defense with a 68-62 win over Michigan in Las Vegas. The Gamecocks' win streak is at 39 games, but the Wolverines — who started three freshmen — tested the defending champions from the start.

ESPN broke down the Day 1 results.

How did South Carolina look as it started its title defense?

Creme: Dawn Staley will have plenty to point out in the film session from this game. The much smaller Wolverines equaled South Carolina on the boards and managed to score 28 points in the paint while also having more assists (13 to 12) and more 3-pointers (8 to 5). This didn't look anything like the Gamecocks on opening night a year ago, when