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UCLA Women’s Basketball: #8 Bruins sweep USC, tied for first in the Pac-12

By Mike Regalado

LAS VEGAS, NV - MARCH 09: UCLA Bruins mascot Joe Bruin and UCLA cheerleaders stand on the court after the team's 76-74 win over the USC Trojans in a quarterfinal game of the Pac-12 Basketball Tournament at T-Mobile Arena on March 9, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NV - MARCH 09: UCLA Bruins mascot Joe Bruin and UCLA cheerleaders stand on the court after the team's 76-74 win over the USC Trojans in a quarterfinal game of the Pac-12 Basketball Tournament at T-Mobile Arena on March 9, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /
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The UCLA Women’s Basketball team had corrected their course after a slow conference start, but have gone on a win streak, which includes a sweep of USC, that has got them back to the top of the Pac-12 standings.

Starting a conference season off 2-2 is not exactly good for a program, especially one that was picked to finish first, but the UCLA Women’s Basketball team has been able to ride that early Pac-12 roller coaster and is now back at the top of the standings.

RELATED: UCLA Women’s Basketball still in the hunt for the Pac-12 title

Since that inauspicious start, the Bruins have rattled off eight straight wins, which includes a sweep of the USC Trojans this past weekend.

On Friday, the Bruins hosted USC at Pauley Pavilion. The Trojans put up a fight, but were no match for UCLA who won 59-46. In that game, forward Monique Billings was dominant in the paint as she put up 14 points, 16 rebounds and 3 blocks. Point guard Jordan Canada was equally instrumental as she nearly logged another double-double with 16 points and 9 assists.

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The Bruins were 18-4, 9-2 after that game, which earned them a #8 ranking in the latest AP Top 25 poll. UCLA was on a roll and heading for a logjam at the top of the Pac-12 standings. What helped their efforts in getting back to the top of the standings was conference-leading Oregon’s loss to Stanford over the weekend. With that win, Stanford moved into a two-way tie for first place in the Pac-12 with Oregon, but that only lasted a day.

Hours after the Bruins broke into the Top 10 (on Monday), they went across town to USC and delivered another loss to the Trojans, 84-70. Not only did the Bruins sweep their rival, but the win put them in a three-way tie for first place in the Pac-12. Billings once again logged a double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds, while Canada added 18 points and 8 assists.

As I have chronicled in the last few weeks, UCLA had a very front-heavy schedule (the reason for the 2-2 start) which means the back end is a bit lighter, at least compared to the other top Pac-12 teams who have a more difficult schedule heading into the end of the regular season.

Next: UCLA Men's Basketball potential 2018-19 depth chart

Though UCLA’s schedule is “lighter”, it by no means is easier. With the Bruins fighting to stay at the top of the standings, they need to play against each team as if they were the Pac-12 favorite. The UCLA Women’s Basketball team, which is not known for sitting back and expecting wins, should be able to fight, fight, fight hard against every remaining opponent and is more than capable of securing that Pac-12 title. Let us hope that is the case with six regular season games left.