Buzz already mounting for USC women's basketball after major transfer adds

The USC women's basketball team was already going to be a highly-ranked preseason pick with the return of All-American JuJu Watkins for her sophomore season.

But the addition of Stanford transfer forward Kiki Iriafen over the weekend and Oregon State transfer guard Talia von Oelhoffen on Monday only stokes the expectations further for the Trojans.

Iriafen, an AP All-America honorable mention and the Pac-12's Most Improved Player this past season as a junior at Stanford, averaged 19.4 points and 11.0 rebounds per game while shooting 54.6 percent from the field.

The 6-foot-3 forward had 15 20-point games last season, including 41 vs. Iowa State in the NCAA tournament and regular-season outputs of 36 vs. Oregon State and 30 vs. Florida State.

The former prep standout at Harvard-Westlake HS is returning home for her final season. She entered the transfer portal soon after legendary Stanford head coach Tara VanDerveer announced her retirement.

Meanwhile, von Oelhoffen, who took her USC official visit along with Iriafen, is a 5-foot-11 guard who averaged double-figures each of the last four seasons, including 10.7 PPG this past year. She also has one year of eligibility remaining. She scored a season-high 27 points against Stanford last year.

The Trojans do lose some of the veteran leadership that helped them to an Elite Eight appearance and 29-6 record in coach Lindsay Gottlieb's third season at the helm, as McKenzie Forbes (14.3 PPG), Kayla Padilla (7.8 PPG) and Kaitlyn Davis (6.0 PPG, 5.8 RPG) all graduate. (They also lose reserve guard Taylor Bigby, who transferred to TCU.)

But along with Watkins, who finished second nationally in scoring at 27.1 PPG, the Trojans also return frontcourt anchor Rayah Marshall (10.2 PPG, 10.5 RPG) and key backup Clarice Akunwafo along with an influx of young talent in highly-touted incoming freshmen Kennedy Smith, Avery Howell, Rian Forestier, Kayleigh Heckel, Vivian Iwuchukwu and Laura Williams, who comprise ESPN"s top-ranked women's basketball recruiting class this cycle.

Smith, a 6-foot-1 wing, was named the Gatorade Player of the Year for California and a McDonald's All-American after averaging 20.2 PPG and 7.5 RPG for a 30-3 Etiwanda HS team. She is the No. 6-ranked prospect nationally, per ESPN.

Heckel, a 5-foot-9 guard from New York, is ranked the No. 13 national prospect; Howell, a 5-foor-11 guard from Idaho, is No. 16; Iwuchukwu, a 6-foot-3 forward out of Florida, is No. 47; Forestier, a 5-foot-11 guard from Texas, is No. 54; and Williams, a 6-foot-1 forward from Virginia, is No. 92 on ESPN's top 100.

USC could be a legit national title contender as Gottlieb continues to build the program at a rapid pace.