The UCLA Bruins take on the USC Trojans for the third time this season as they Crosstown Rivals meet in the Pac-12 Tournament.
It is time for tournament basketball! Everything before this does not matter as every single team in the Pac-12 Conference starts anew with a chance to not only capture the Pac-12 Tournament Championship, but also has the chance to secure that automatic bid which will get them into the NCAA Tournament.
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For the UCLA Basketball team, this means that they have one last chance to go to the Big Dance, though that will take four straight victories to do and that starts tonight against the USC Trojans.
The regular season has not gone as planned for the Bruins, especially when you throw the Trojans into the mix, but this is March Madness and anything can happen!
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Records: #6 USC Trojans (20-11, 9-9), #10 UCLA Bruins (15-16, 6-12)
Tipoff: 6:00 p.m. PT
Location: MGM Grand Garden Arena (Cap.: 16,800)
Tickets: Pac-12.com
TV: Pac-12 Network
Online: Pac-12.com
Radio: AM 570 Los Angeles
On-line Radio: Tune-In
Betting Line: USC -2.0
It has been a while since USC has had as much success as they did this season and in their path laid the Bruins. In the two games the Bruins and Trojans played this season, USC beat UCLA by a combined 33 points. Ouch.
The USC Trojans are a very athletic team led by First Team All-Pac-12 player, Julian Jacobs, but he is not alone. USC is very good at distributing the ball and getting all of their players involved. USC currently has six players scoring in double-digits.
Still, the Trojans have stumbled a bit themselves as they ended their regular season the exact same way UCLA did, finishing 2-6. Still, do not let that fool you as the Trojans will come at the Bruins, especially with the chance to beat UCLA three times in the same season. That has not happened since 1954.
Likewise, UCLA does not want to go out in that manner. Not only will they instantly be eliminated from the Pac-12 tournament, but losing three times to the Trojans is something no Bruin ever wants to bear.
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Because of this, I expect the Bruins to come out with some fight fight fight and give everything they’ve got to USC. They need to get this victory to prove to themselves that they are better than people think and for momentum going into next year. Because honestly, who knows who will remain with the program if the Bruins lose this game.
Prediction: UCLA 78 – USC 75