UCLA's and USC's first season as members of the Big Ten has been an interesting journey. This regular season finale between these two schools has all the makings of a special game.
This matchup will be the final scheduled contest of the regular season for both squads.
This game may significantly impact their seeding for both teams, as they plan to participate in the recently established 18-team Big Ten tournament. The Trojans are not guaranteed a spot at this point in time for the Big Ten tournament, so a win would secure a place in the tournament.
The emotional stakes are heightened in this game due to it being "Senior Day," amplifying the intensity of the rivalry between the teams from across town.
USC is projected as the No. 14 seed with a 46% chance of qualifying for the Big Ten tournament. UCLA is projected as a No. 6 seed and they have already qualified for the B1G Ten tournament. However, both teams want to win this game for various reasons, with the Trojans hoping to separate themselves from the other four teams who have seven wins in Big Ten play and possibly leap ahead of Minnesota, Rutgers, Northwestern, and Nebraska for better seeding in the upcoming tournament.
UCLA is the only team currently in the Big Ten with a 12-7 conference record, with both Illinois and Oregon behind them at 11-8 and Maryland, Wisconsin, and Purdue ahead of them at 13-6. A win against USC could slide them into the No. 5 seed and a loss to the Trojans could possibly push them down to a No. 7 seed.
To put it in perspective, the games last season were insignificant because neither team qualified for the NCAA tournament. You would have to go back over two years, when UCLA and USC played one another on January 27th, 2023, when both teams were playing well and competing for a conference title and NCAA title berth.
This season, USC has a new coach in Eric Musselman and a win for him and his program against UCLA on the road to disrupt the Bruins senior day celebration would send a message to Trojan fans that the basketball program is back on the rise.
For UCLA, the Bruins are looking to get back to making Sweet Sixteen appearances in the NCAA tournament, winning this game and sweeping the Trojans (unless they meet again in the B1G tournament), which would be the first time since the 2017-18 season that they did not lose at least one game to the Trojans in a season.
This regular season finale between USC and UCLA should be a great one that fans from both schools should enjoy watching Saturday night on prime time television.