USC was without Kennedy Smith. That's like half their core. I'm not surprised they struggled, especially Jazzy who was 5-20, though she had 13 rebounds and 2 blocks. I'm not quite ready to blame Lindsay for this result entirely, though I wouldn't exonerate her entirely either.
I suspect Lindsay had no choice but to hand the team over to JuJu two years ago. That's what happens when you accept a player like her, absolutely ball-dominant and head and shoulders above the rest of that class. She can't be a simple role player, and she can carry a team to some big wins, as happened both seasons. The first season, she carried them to an Elite Eight appearance with a slender supporting cast. The next season they looked to go further until they lost Juju and ran into the UConn buzzsaw. However, the cost of that sort of star to the rest of the team, and to team morale, can be severe, as the exodus of freshman at the end of last season suggested. That was probably not all because of Juju and may have had something to do with the transfers Lindsay took in over the new recruits -- Iriafen and TVO.
I don't think Jazzy is the same sort of player as Juju, though she is very talented. But, unlike Juju, Jazzy isn't ready to carry a team on her shoulders all season long. Nor is she able to lift them past injuries like the one to Kennedy.
