No. 2 UCLA women’s basketball (27-1, 17-0 Big Ten) will conclude its regular season when it faces crosstown rival USC (17-11, 9-8) on Sunday afternoon at a sold-out the Galen Center. While the Bruins hold a narrow 55-54 lead in the all-time series, the Trojans have won their last two home matchups against the Bruins.
In the teams’ previous meeting Jan. 3 at Pauley Pavilion, UCLA downed USC 80-46. If the Bruins repeat the feat Sunday, they will become just the fourth Big Ten team to earn the regular-season title with an undefeated conference record since women’s basketball joined the NCAA in 1982. Daily Bruin assistant Sports editor Willa Campion and the Daily Trojan Sports editors provide their predictions for the game.
Willa Campion
Assistant Sports editor, Daily Bruin
Prediction: UCLA 85, USC 67
Last year, the Trojans were the Bruins’ Achilles’ heel.
An otherwise dominant regular season in which UCLA defeated the then-reigning national champions South Carolina to claim a spot atop the AP Poll for 12 consecutive weeks was marked by just two blemishes – both penned by USC.
While the Bruins may have thrown the final punch with a 72-67 win over the Trojans in the Big Ten tournament championship match, their victory in Indianapolis was less about what they did right and more about what their crosstown rivals did wrong – namely, shooting just 21.1% from the field and 12.5% from beyond the arc in the fourth quarter.
This season, though, the rivalry has been dominated by the blue and gold.
Since a disjointed loss to No. 4 Texas on Nov. 26, UCLA has been perfect in conference record play, including wins over No. 8 Michigan and then-No. 8 Iowa. If there were any concerns that the Trojans would be the ones to throw a wrench in the Bruins’ flawless Big Ten streak in back-to-back years, they were quickly vanquished with the 34-point victory from coach Cori Close’s squad over its crosstown counterpart Jan. 3.
The first meeting of the year between the rivals had the makings of a contentious contest, too. With the programs’ all-time record deadlocked at 54-54, a lot was on the line for a midseason game between two ranked opponents.
But UCLA was able to limit freshman phenom guard Jazzy Davidson to just 10 points and USC’s entire offense to 27% shooting from the field to give Pauley Pavilion a dominant showing.
With senior center Lauren Betts boasting the second most double-doubles in the Big Ten with 11, senior guard Kiki Rice facilitating the offense with her versatility across the court and graduate student guard Gianna Kneepkens making easy work out of 3-point shooting, the Bruins’ path to yet another rivalry win looks comfortable.
The Galen Center should expect an 85-67 win from UCLA, which boasts some of the best depth in the nation and the crucial collegiate experience of a senior-heavy lineup.
Kai Assad
Sports editor, Daily Trojan
Prediction: UCLA 70, USC 58
Before the season, I was aware of the importance that this game had — and has always had. We have played more games against UCLA than any other opponent, and although we have a losing record all-time, we are 4-2 against the Bruins in the age of superstar junior guard JuJu Watkins. However, Watkins has been out the entire season rehabbing an ACL tear, and the 80-46 Bruin beatdown earlier this season was the worst of coach Lindsay Gottlieb’s USC career.
But things have changed since that loss, notably on the offensive front. Davidson, who has spearheaded the team all season, has greatly improved; she has not shot under 30% from the field in a single game since Jan. 15. Senior guard Kara Dunn has come alive as a scorer, and sophomore guard Kennedy Smith has found her groove after an uncharacteristically poor offensive start to the season.
Maybe the most important distinction is the emergence of redshirt freshman forward Laura Williams. For the majority of the season, the Trojan frontcourt was juggling between multiple forwards with none standing out, but since Feb. 5, Williams has been the sole big in USC’s starting lineup, and for good reason, as she provides a much-needed defensive presence.
This will be sorely needed against the Bruins, who scored nearly as many points in the paint as USC did in total during their last meeting. Betts is a force to be reckoned with, and that’s not to mention the impact of her co-star Rice. Although USC’s offensive and defensive improvements provide me with more faith than I would have had earlier in the season, I think UCLA will ultimately take the victory, 70-58.
Bennett Christofferson
Sports editor, Daily Trojan
Prediction: UCLA 83, USC 65
A year ago, this prediction would have looked very different. USC and UCLA stood equal as titans of women’s basketball, combining for a 53-4 regular-season record and earning two of the No. 1 seeds in the 2025 NCAA tournament.
However, it is no longer 2025. While the Bruins look better than ever and have lost just one game all season, the Trojans have not enjoyed nearly the same level of success, a fact made abundantly clear by UCLA’s dominant 80-46 victory in the squads’ first matchup in January.
Though USC is playing far better than it was at the start of the new year — Davidson has emerged as a genuine superstar, and Smith and Dunn have both found their stride — it is still nowhere close to being able to compete with its crosstown rivals and will enter the regular season’s finale reeling from a brutal loss to Big Ten bottom-feeder Penn State.
Sunday’s matchup will be much closer than the rivalry’s first edition, thanks to a rejuvenated USC offense that has scored at least 70 points in seven of its last eight games. Davidson will once again put the Trojans on her back with a monster performance, matching Betts blow-for-blow as the two put up 30 points apiece.
Nevertheless, the Bruins’ far superior lineup depth will prevail once again, securing UCLA a No. 1 seed in the upcoming NCAA Tournament while sending USC back to the bubble. My prediction: UCLA 83, USC 65.
Comments are closed.