Lindsay Gottlieb

Biography

Now entering her sixth season as head coach at USC, Lindsay Gottlieb has guided Women of Troy to historic runs with back-to-back NCAA Elite Eight appearances in 2024 and 2025. Also a two-time finalist for the Werner Ladder National Coach of the Year award, Gottlieb led USC to its second-ever Pac-12 Tournament title in 2024 and its first-ever Big Ten regular-season title in 2025. USC also earned a No. 1 seed in the 2024 and 2025 NCAA Tournaments, marking the first time in over 40 years the program has done so. With Gottlieb at the helm, USC made its fourth consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance during the 2025-26 season—marking the program’s longest streak since a five-year run from 1991-95. The Trojans finished 18-4 overall and 9-9 in conference play. As a squad, USC reached the Second Round of the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament following a 71–67 overtime victory against Clemson in the opening round. In a season that saw JuJu Watkins become USC’s third Naismith Trophy winner, Gottlieb’s 2024-25 Trojans reached the Elite Eight and earned the most wins by the program since 1986 with their 31-4 overall record in its first season as members of the Big Ten Conference. USC also rose to its highest national ranking since 1984 in holding a spot at No. 2 in the nation the week of March 4, 2025. Gottlieb was named the Big Ten Coach of the Year in helping the Trojans to a 17-1 mark and winning the regular-season title. By the close of USC’s first Elite Eight appearance in 30 years,