1982–83 USC Trojans women's basketball team

1982–83 USC Trojans women's basketball
ConferenceWestern Collegiate Athletic Association
Ranking
APNo. 2
Record31–2 (13–1 WCAA)
Head coach
Home arenaL.A. Sports Arena
Seasons
1982–83 West Coast Athletic Association women's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 2 USC 13 – 1   .929 31 – 2   .939
No. 7 Long Beach State 12 – 2   .857 24 – 7   .774
Arizona State 9 – 5   .643 23 – 7   .767
UCLA 9 – 5   .643 18 – 11   .621
Cal State Fullerton 7 – 10   .412 13 – 15   .464
Stanford 5 – 9   .357 19 – 16   .543
San Diego State 3 – 11   .214 10 – 18   .357
Arizona 2 – 12   .143 10 – 17   .370
As of April 5, 1983
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1982–83 USC Trojans women's basketball team represented the University of Southern California during the 1982–83 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The squad was led by sixth-year head coach Linda Sharp and superstar freshman Cheryl Miller. The Trojans played their home games at the L.A. Sports Arena and were an NCAA independent.

The Women of Troy finished the regular season with a 26–2 record and the No. 2 ranking in the AP poll. As the top seed in the West region of the NCAA tournament, USC played the entire regional in their home city of Los Angeles. The team defeated Northeast Louisiana, Arizona State, and Long Beach State to earn the school's first Final Four appearance. In the national semifinals, USC easily defeated Georgia, 81–57. In the National Championship Game, the Trojans played No. 1 and two-time defending champion (1 AIAW, 1 NCAA), Louisiana Tech, winning 69–67 to break the Lady Techsters championship hold and earn the program's first NCAA title.

Previous season

The 1981–82 USC Trojans women's basketball team finished with an overall record of 23–4 and a No. 6 ranking in the final AP poll. They reached the Elite Eight of the inaugural women's NCAA tournament before losing to No. 8 Tennessee, 91–90 in overtime.

Roster

1982–83 USC Trojans women's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Year Previous school Hometown
F 11 Paula McGee 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) So Flint Northern Flint, Michigan
G 15 Juliette Robinson 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) Jr   Long Beach, California
G 21 Rhonda Windham
—
 Fr   Bronx, New York
F 30 Pamela McGee 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) So Flint Northern Flint, Michigan
F 31 Cheryl Miller 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) Fr Riverside Polytechnic Riverside, California
G 44 Cynthia Cooper 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) Fr Locke Los Angeles, California
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster

Schedule

Date
time, TV 		Rank# Opponent# Result Record Site
city, state
Regular season
Dec 29, 1982*
 No. 1 No. 4 Old Dominion
Winston Tire Classic 		W 75–47  9–0
 L.A. Sports Arena 
Los Angeles, California
NCAA tournament
Mar 18, 1983*
 (1 W) No. 2 (8 W) Northeast Louisiana
First round 		W 99–85  27–2
 L.A. Sports Arena 
Los Angeles, California
Mar 25, 1983*
 (1 W) No. 2 vs. (4 W) No. 12 Arizona State
Regional Semifinal – Sweet Sixteen 		W 96–59  28–2
 Pauley Pavilion 
Los Angeles, California
Mar 27, 1983*
 (1 W) No. 2 vs. (2 W) No. 7 Long Beach State
Regional Final – Elite Eight 		W 81–74  29–2
 Pauley Pavilion 
Los Angeles, California
Apr 1, 1983*
 (1 W) No. 2 vs. (2 ME) No. 8 Georgia
National Semifinal – Final Four 		W 81–57[1][2]  30–2
 Norfolk Scope (8,866)
Norfolk, Virginia
Apr 3, 1983*
 (1 W) No. 2 vs. (1 MW) No. 1 Louisiana Tech
National Championship 		W 69–67[3]  31–2
 Norfolk Scope (7,387)
Norfolk, Virginia
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Pacific Time.

Source: USCTrojans.com[4]

Rankings

See also: 1982–83 NCAA Division I women's basketball rankings
Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
Week
Poll12345678910111213141516Final
AP11111111122222222

Awards and honors

Notes

References

  1. ^ "LA. TECH WILL PLAY U.S.C. FOR THE TITLE". The New York Times. April 2, 1983. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
  2. ^ "U.S.C. IS SPARKED BY PLAYGROUND GUARD". The New York Times. April 3, 1983. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
  3. ^ "U.S.C. WOMEN TOP LA. TECH FOR TITLE". The New York Times. April 4, 1983. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
  4. ^ "1982-83 USC Women's Basketball Schedule". USCTrojans.com. Retrieved March 23, 2024.