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
1982–83 West Coast Athletic Association women's basketball standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 2 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

    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.