Dec 3, 2013; Los Angeles, CA, USA; (EDITORS NOTE: caption correction) UCLA Bruins player Tre Hale rings the victory bell in honor of their football victory over the Southern California Trojans at halftime of a basketball game between UCLA and the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos at Pauley Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports
Every November, as the month progresses, UCLA and USC fans begin to ready themselves for battle as the day they’ve waited for all year comes closer. The Crosstown Showdown looms larger and larger in their hearts and minds of Angelenos until finally, the Bruins, in true blue and gold, and the Trojans, in… well, we’ll call it cardinal and gold for the sake of civility, clash on the field of the Rose Bowl or the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in front of 90,000 locals trying to will their university of choice to victory every other year.
The rivalry in football has had more memorable moments on both sides than we can begin to recount in this column, lest we run this piece to over 5,000 words. Although USC surely has the more decorated history of the two schools on the gridiron, UCLA can still point to proud football moments in its own history and is itself universally recognized as one of the top 25 football programs of all time. With such historical heft weighing down on the football iteration of the Crosstown Showdown, and given the preeminence of football as a sport in the modern era, it’s no wonder that UCLA vs. USC between the white lines is the version of the rivalry that is foremost in popular perception.Â
UCLA Bruins
However, the basketball version of the rivalry has never seemed to carry the same stakes. UCLA, one of the bluebloods of college basketball, seems to consider Arizona its main basketball rival. USC fans, in contrast, plainly do not care about basketball, where the Trojans’ legacy is relatively piddling, nearly as much as they do about football. A victory over USC in basketball is treated largely as a ho-hum continuation of the status quo by UCLA fans. A victory over UCLA in basketball is treated more as a pleasant surprise by USC fans than a tent-pole event worth full emotional investment in the same way football is.
UCLA vs. USC is a rivalry that extends far beyond sanctioned sporting competition though. It permeates into the fabric of everyday life for local fans of both sides. Beating the Trojans matters. It could be putt-putt golf, poker, beer pong, or any other frivolous activity you want to try. The manner of competition is irrelevant; a Bruin victory over a Trojan in any form is always something to celebrate.
So tonight, when Steve Alford‘s team takes the floor at the Galen Center, we hope they know that tonight is different. We hope they know that tonight’s game is one whose result will resonate far more than nearly any other they play the rest of this season. Why? Because, regardless of the importance in the standings or the feelings it might evoke in the respective fanbases, it’s USC and beating USC isn’t just a game; it’s a way of life for UCLA.