Now that California is out of the Women's NIT tournament, the USC Trojans are looking to give the Pac-10 another WNIT title.
USC is two wins away from doing just that. The Trojans advanced to the WNIT Final Four by cruising past future Pac-12 opponent Colorado 87-70 in Sunday's quarterfinals. USC is in the WNIT Final Four for the first time in school history and, on Wednesday, will play an Illinois State team that is competing in the tournament semifinals for the third straight year.
USC will be making the 1,986-mile trip to Normal, Ill., for a chance to qualify for the WNIT championship game against either Toledo and Charlotte.
Cal had a similar path in reaching the WNIT championship game last year. The Bears made the 2,128-mile trek to Normal to play the Redbirds in the tournament's semifinals and they not only left Illinois with a win, but they earned a bid to host the championship game against Miami and beat the Hurricanes for their first postseason championship in school history. Cal's bid for its second straight WNIT title ended in the second round with a loss to Colorado.
Now, USC is two wins away from its third postseason title in school history. The Cheryl Miller-led Trojans won NCAA titles in 1983 and 1984.
USC is also playing its fourth straight road game in the WNIT. After starting its tournament play with a win over UC Santa Barbara at the Galen Center, USC picked road wins over Nevada, BYU and Colorado.
On Wednesday, the Trojans will be playing in the Midwest for the first time since December.
So far, junior Ashley Corral has been USC's shining star in the WNIT. She scored 75 points in the four games, including 32 off the bench against the Buffaloes on Sunday.
"She wouldn't let us die," USC coach Michael Cooper told the Colorado Daily on Monday. "Most of the plays were drawn up for her and she was able to deliver."
The Trojans also beat Colorado for the second time this season. USC beat the Buffaloes 68-54 in the Women of Troy Basketball Tournament on Dec. 18.
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