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USC and UCLA will face each other for the third time this season on Sunday, but this meeting will be for the Big Ten championship. However the third act of this battle for Los Angeles will occur in Indianapolis, some 2,000 miles away from homes of these former Pac-12 schools that have taken over the conference in their first season of being in the Big Ten. The game tips at 4:30 p.m. ET and can be seen on CBS and Paramount+.
The Bruins (29-2, 16-2 Big Ten) only have two losses through what has so far been the best campaign in program history, but both were against the Trojans (28-2, 17-1 Big Ten). Their last meeting on March 1 resulted in a 80-67 win for the Trojans, which propelled Lindsay Gottlieb’s squad to earn the program’s first regular season conference title in 30 years.
UCLA’s players and coaching staff were disappointed with that performance, but Lauren Betts said the team went over that game in tough film session ahead of the Big Ten tournament and that seemed to have motivated everybody. Coach Cori Close said she “100 percent, absolutely,” wanted a third crack at USC this season, and now the Bruins will get their chance.
Where to watch No. 1 USC vs. No. 2 UCLA:
When: Sunday, March 9 at 4:30 p.m. ET
Where: Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis
TV: CBS
Streaming: Paramount+
Follow: CBS Sports app
USC’s path to the title game
USC had to start the conference tournament without starting center/forward Rayah Marshall, who missed the quarterfinals game against Indiana due to illness. The Hoosiers gave the Trojans a battle and it was a one possession game going into the fourth quarter, but USC stayed strong to come out with an 84-79 victory.
JuJu Watkins led the team with 31 points and 10 rebounds — which was her seventh 30-point game this season and 21st in her career. Although she is only a sophomore, Watkins already ranks second all-time in career 30-point games at USC behind Cheryl Miller’s 25. Kiki Iriafen fouled out in the last minute of the game, but she was another top performer with 21 points and 10 rebounds.
During the semifinals against the Michigan, the Trojans shot under 35% from the field in the first two quarters and were down 29-31 at halftime. However, they found a better rhythm after the break to pick up an 82-70 win behind a combined for 45 points from Watkins and Iriafen. They also registered 11 rebounds each. Marshall was back on the court and contributed with nine points, three rebounds and two assists in just 19 minutes.
UCLA’s path to the title game
Despite Nebraska keeping it competitive in the first half, UCLA had something to prove in this tournament and used that motivation to finish Friday’s quarterfinal with a 85-74 win. That game saw a strong performance by Betts on both sides of the court with 28 points, 13 rebounds and seven blocks. Meanwhile, Gabriela Jaquez put up a season-high 23 points and nine rebounds.
UCLA followed that up with a dominant 75-46 semifinal win over Ohio State, a team that averages around 80 points per game this season. The Bruins out-rebounded their opponents 43-25, and also held them to under 34% shooting from the field.
The star of the show against Ohio State was Londynn Jones, who went 6 of 12 from beyond the arc while scoring a season-high 22 points. Jones is averaging just over eight points per game this season, but she can be dangerous when her shots are falling. During the 2023-24 campaign, Jones set UCLA’s single-season record for 3-pointers made with 87.
