USC womens basketball needs plenty to go right for deep run

They say they’re ready for this.The elite opponents.The hostile crowds.

The taut games.Playing a tough nonconference schedule, not to mention a Big Ten Conference slate filled with 11 other teams that qualified for the NCAA Tournament, could pay dividends for the USC women’s basketball team in the coming days.“That doesn’t give us any extra points,” Trojans coach Lindsay Gottlieb told reporters of playing so many good teams.“You know, you have to come out there and do what you need to do, but I think from a mentality standpoint it should give us just a sense of confidence that we’re capable when we play at our best of certainly matching up against anybody.” California's top news, sports and entertainment delivered to your inbox every day.

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Never miss a story The road won’t be easy.Ninth-seeded USC will play its first-round game against eighth-seeded Clemson on Saturday at Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, S.C.

It’s essentially a home game for the Tigers, who will need only a two-hour bus ride as opposed to a cross-country flight.Waiting in the second round will likely be top-seeded South Carolina.Can the Trojans recapture the form that helped them reach the Elite Eight in each of the last two seasons?Here are five things that need to happen for the Trojans to make a deep run:After briefly departing USC’s loss to Washington in the Big Ten Tournament with a shoulder injury, star freshman Jazzy Davidson was cleared to play this week.That may have been the big boost the Trojans needed to break their four-game losing streak.“I’m super excited,” Davidson told reporters of making her NCAA Tournament debut.

“I mean, you grow up playing basketball and watching the NCAA Tournament and it’s always super electric every year, so just getting the opportunity to play in my first one, I don’t take tha...