The 24th-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish (3-1) return to South Bend looking to keep their home magic alive as they welcome the No. 11 USC Trojans (3-1) in a high-profile nonconference showdown.
Notre Dame enters this matchup licking its wounds after a rough outing in Ann Arbor, where Michigan handed the Irish a 93-54 loss on Saturday. Cassandre Prosper was one of the few bright spots, pacing the team with 17 points.
USC, meanwhile, is riding high after a dominant 78-51 win over Portland earlier in the week. Freshman phenom Jazzy Davidson led the Trojans in that one, dropping 19 points and continuing her electric start to the season.
Here, GOAL brings you everything you need to know about how to watch the Notre Dame vs USC NCAAW game, plus plenty more.
Notre Dame vs USC: Date and tip-off time
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish will face off against the USC Trojans in an exciting NCAAW game on Friday, November 21, 2025, at 6:00 pm ET or 3:00 pm PT at the Purcell Pavilion in Notre Dame, Indiana.
| Date | Friday, November 21, 2025 |
| Tip-off Time | 6:00 pm ET or 3:00 pm PT |
| Venue | Purcell Pavilion |
| Location | Notre Dame, Indiana |
How to watch Notre Dame vs USC on TV & stream live online
Fans in the USA can catch all the action between Notre Dame and USC live onESPNnationally. Streaming options are available on Fubo, which offers a FREE trial to new subscribers.
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Notre Dame vs USC team news & key performers
Notre Dame Fighting Irish team news
For Notre Dame, everything begins and ends with Hannah Hidalgo.
When the Irish face teams they can overwhelm athletically, building the offense around Hidalgo turns into a cheat code, blowouts, highlight reels, and box scores that look like video-game numbers. But Michigan offered a harsh reminder that elite defensive teams, ones capable of sticking to Hidalgo possession after possession, can bring the entire Notre Dame offense to a screeching halt. And when the Wolverines bottled her up, Hidalgo trying to power through double-teams and force her way into the teeth of the defense only led to more stagnation.
The Domino Effect is obvious: if Hidalgo draws the defense inward, someone on the perimeter is going to be wide open. The problem? Notre Dame’s shooters haven’t made opponents pay. The Irish are knocking down just 27.5% of their threes as a group, and only Gisela Sanchez is clearing 33% from deep, and even she’s working off a tiny sample size (5-for-10). At some point, Notre Dame has to develop a more layered offense, actions off of Hidalgo’s passes, movement that stresses defenses beyond “hope the open three goes in,” and schemes that put pressure on teams even when Hidalgo isn’t the one scoring.
USC Trojans team news
Meanwhile, as both Josh Felton and Edwin Garcia have noted, the JuJu Watkins-less Trojans are carving out a fresh personality of their own. USC has turned to grit and relentless defense, leaning on the early star power of freshman Jazzy Davidson to keep the offense afloat. That formula has exceeded expectations so far.
Still, the Trojans need more juice from Kennedy Smith on the offensive end.
Smith, a 6-foot-1 sophomore guard whose motor and athleticism are tailor-made for USC’s defensive identity, will almost certainly spend Friday shadowing Hidalgo. But the problem comes on the other end of the floor. She’s scoring 11.5 points per game while shooting under 32% overall and just 23.5% from deep. With Smith logging 30+ minutes nightly, USC needs her to provide more consistent scoring threat; otherwise, defences will collapse onto Davidson and make the freshman’s life much harder.
The stage is set: Hidalgo at the center of everything for Notre Dame, the Trojans leaning on toughness and their rising young star. Whichever team gets its secondary scorers to step up likely walks out of Purcell Pavilion with the win.