Two of the top three teams in the Pac-12 will square off on Saturday as the USC Trojans (20-6, 2nd in the conference) will take on the UCLA Bruins (17-7, 3rd in the conference). UCLA will host this one at the Pauley Pavilion, with a tip-off scheduled for 4:00 pm ET.
At 14-5 in the conference, USC is trying to overtake the 13-4 Oregon Ducks (who play Oregon State Sunday) for first place. After losing back-to-back conference games to No. 24 Colorado and Utah last week, USC was able to bounce back with a 79-42 win over Stanford on Wednesday.
At 13-5, UCLA could leapfrog the Trojans with a win on Saturday. They have struggled over the past week, though, as they have dropped two in a row to No. 24 Colorado (70-61) and Oregon (82-74). They will look to take advantage of their home court, where they are a perfect 11-0 this season.
USC is the favorite in this one despite playing on the road. They are -118 to win while the Bruins’ moneyline sits at +100. The spread features UCLA +2, and the over/under for total points is 135.5.
By The Numbers
USC holds the advantage in scoring, averaging 74.7 points per game this season. For UCLA, they rank 116th, averaging 73 points per game.
Defensively, it is once again USC with the advantage. They rank 34th in the nation in scoring defense, allowing 64.2 points per game to opponents. UCLA falls to 96th overall, allowing an average of 68.1 points per game.
USC Trying To Sweep Season Series
Back on February 6, USC dominated the Bruins at home 66-48. In the victory, Ethan Anderson and Tahj Eaddy combined for 35 points, while Isaiah and Evan Mobley combined for 20 rebounds. On Saturday, USC will try to win both sides of the home and away with the Bruins.
On the season, Evan Mobley has been USC’s most dominant player. He leads the team in points (16.2), rebounds (8.5), and blocks (2.8) per game. He is also averaging 2.2 assists and shooting 58.2% from the field.
He isn’t the only contributor, though. Other major assets to USC include Tahj Eaddy (13.9 points, 2.7 rebounds, 2.5 assists), Drew Peterson (9.8 points, 5.1 rebounds, three assists), and Isaiah Mobley (9.1 points, 7.7 rebounds, one block).
UCLA Looking For Revenge And To Preserve Perfect Home Record
After losing big to USC earlier in the year, this would be the perfect time for UCLA to get their revenge. Not only would they keep their perfect home record intact, but they would also jump over the Trojans in the conference standings.
For a team that has five players averaging double digits, only one showed up in the first matchup with USC. Johnny Juzang had 13 points and 13 rebounds, but no other player scored more than 8 for the Bruins.
On the season, Juzang is averaging 14.2 points and 4.3 rebounds, but others have been instrumental in their success too. Jaime Jaquez Jr. (11.8 points, six rebounds), Tyger Campbell (10.6 points, 5.7 assists), Cody Riley (10.3 points, 5.3 rebounds), and Jules Bernard (10 points, 4.5 rebounds) all need to step up on Saturday for UCLA to win.
USC Wins On The Road
It may have taken until the last game of the season, but UCLA’s perfect home record is about to be broken. While neither of the teams has played especially well as of late, I like USC to sweep the season series and win this one on the road.
While I don’t expect this to be the 18-point beatdown, it was back at the beginning of February; I just think that USC matches up better than UCLA on both sides of the floor. For my money, I am taking the Trojans to not only win but to cover the modest 2-point spread as well.
Prediction: Trojans -2.00 points
