Los Angeles supremacy, the Big Ten title, NCAA seeding, maybe the top spot in the Player of the Year race: That’s what’s on the line Saturday for No. 2 UCLA and No. 4 USC.
The Bruins are looking to avenge their only loss of the season, which came two weeks ago, while USC wants to sweep the series against their crosstown rival. The winner finishes first in the Big Ten and picks up some serious momentum heading into the conference tournament, while also bolstering its case for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Then, there is the battle between two of the country’s most exhilarating stars: the smooth scoring of USC 6-foot-2 sophomore guard JuJu Watkins and the efficient execution of UCLA 6-foot-7 junior center Lauren Betts. Winning Saturday could lead to another win, in the POY race down the line.
And if all of that isn’t enough, there’s the city both call home. Los Angeles has suddenly become a hotbed for women’s basketball. The Sparks just traded for Kelsey Plum, adding the veteran to a group of young stars that includes Cameron Brink and Rickea Jackson, making the team relevant for the first time since its last WNBA championship in 2017.
As for the college teams, they’ve never been this good at the same time. UCLA boasted one of the top recruiting classes in the country in 2022 when it signed 5-foot-11 guard KiKi Rice, 5-foot-4 guard Londynn Jones and 6-foot guard Gabriela Jaquez. With those three juniors and with junior transfers Betts, 6-foot-4 forward Janiah Barker and 6-foot-3 forward Timea Gardner, the Bruins now have four of the top six players (including each of the top three) in ESPN’s HoopGurlz 2022 rankings. For USC, Watkins’ signing in 2023 made the Trojans a desirable landing spot for others, leading to this season’s recruiting class being the best in the nation. Both teams are brimming with talent. Both have multiple L.A.-area players — Jones, Jaquez and 6-foot-4 sophomore forward Amanda Muse for UCLA and Watkins, 6-foot-4 senior forward Rayah Marshall, 6-foot-6 senior center Clarice Akunwafo and 6-foot-3 senior forward Kiki Irafen for USC. And both want to own the basketball scene in Los Angeles.
“Just a few years ago, people said women’s basketball in L.A. couldn’t be big, couldn’t sell out,” USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb said after the teams met on Feb. 13. “But we are proving that wrong.”
And then some. The Galen Center was sold out for the first meeting and the rematch sold out more than two weeks ago. The last time the Trojans and the Bruins met in Pauley Pavilion, it was a record-breaking crowd of 13,659. Celebrities like Kevin Hart, Sanaa Lathan and Leslie Jones have been spotted in the crowd during previous matchups, and Vanessa Bryant, Kobe Bryant’s widow, was in attendance Feb. 13. Women’s basketball in L.A. is big. And it’s still growing.
“That gets me very excited about where we’ve brought the entire game,” UCLA coach Cori Close said Friday. “Little kids, this is going to be all they know, that the best college women’s basketball is being played through L.A.”
That’s thanks to star performances like Watkins’ in USC’s 71-60 win two weeks ago. She had 38 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists and 8 blocks, several of which occurred against Betts. It was jaw-dropping stuff, and yet Watkins said she was “just a kid living their dream.” Watching her is dreamy, too — just not for the Bruins, who have to find a way to contain the dynamic scorer. As for Watkins, she’s seen virtually every defensive scheme this season, so she’s ready for any adjustments the Bruins might make.
“You never know what the defense is going to throw at you, ” Watkins said. “It’s just a matter of adjusting as quickly as possible. Just staying present, that’s the biggest thing, and then knowing what we are made of and playing our best.”
Close didn’t like letting Watkins erupt for a near-triple-double and she certainly didn’t like her team losing its first — and only — game of the season. But it was necessary. The No. 1 spot in the AP poll, an unblemished record, an unprecedented amount of hype around the program — things were too perfect for UCLA.
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“I honestly think we needed to be punched in the gut,” Close said. “We hadn’t had enough adversity to force us to go to different levels.”
If the Bruins are going to make a deep NCAA Tournament run, they’ll need to elevate their guard play, something Close hopes was made clear to her team in the loss. The Bruins shot just 15.4 percent from beyond the arc and committed 20 turnovers. Rice was the only guard in double figures with 15 points.
Before that game, the Bruins’ practice squad wore cardinal and gold jerseys and the USC fight song was piped into the gym in an effort to prepare for the environment. This time, there are no gimmicks, just a sold-out home crowd and a must-win game.
“I’m excited for our team to redeem ourselves,” Betts said. “I think we learned a lot from the last time we played them. We’ve gotten so much better.”
For USC, there is no redemption necessary, but the Trojans likely can’t rely on a repeat performance, either. Watkins’ stat line was eye-popping, but she didn’t get much help. Iriafen, who is usually efficient, was 4-of-14 from the field and scored 13 points and no other Trojan finished in double figures.
Gottlieb expects more from the supporting cast this time around. She’s also confident that her Trojans are both the best team in L.A. and the best team in the Big Ten.
“It’s an incredible spot to be in, to be in a championship game on the last day of the regular season and to be able to control our own destiny,” Gottlieb said. “It’s at our fingertips.”
