Bruins, Trojans Renew Rivalry in Key Pac-12 Contest
Both Teams Trail Arizona for Conference Top Spot
The No. 12 UCLA Bruins try to take down their crosstown rival when they face the No. 21 USC Trojans in a Pac-12 battle on Saturday. The opening tip for this key contest is scheduled for 10 p.m. ET at Galen Center in Los Angeles.
UCLA (17-4, 9-3 Pac-12) snapped a two-game losing streak with a road win over the Stanford Cardinal on Tuesday night. The Bruins are tied for second place in the Pac-12 standings with the Oregon Ducks, with both teams sitting two games behind the first-place Arizona Wildcats.
The Trojans (20-4, 9-4) stepped out of conference for their last win, defeating the visiting Pacific Tigers on Tuesday. USC is in fourth place in the Pac-12, trailing the Bruins and Ducks by a half-game but leading the fifth-place Washington Huskies by just a half-game as well.
The college basketball lines for this contest have the Bruins as two-point favorites on the road, with the over/under set at 137 points. If you’d prefer to bet online on the moneyline, you can get UCLA at -130, while USC is listed at +110.
Experience Counts
The Bruins are a veteran squad, having made a run to the Final Four a season ago. That shows in the team’s turnover numbers, as they rank fifth nationally with 9.5 miscues per game. UCLA had a season-low six turnovers in the win over Stanford.
“Offensively, that’s as good as we’ve played in a while,” UCLA coach Mick Cronin said after Tuesday’s win. “We ran the floor and passed the ball better than we have.”
Guard Johnny Juzang has notched back-to-back games of at least 20 points after scoring just 12 points in a Feb. 3 loss to Arizona in his return to the lineup after a two-game absence due to COVID-19 protocols. Juzang is averaging 18.1 points and 5.2 rebounds per game this season, and his aggressiveness offensively sets the tone for the rest of the Bruins.
Guard Jaime Jaquez Jr. is contributing 13.2 points and a team-best 5.6 rebounds per contest. Jaquez showed his scoring potential with 27 points and 11 rebounds in a triple-overtime loss to Arizona State on Feb. 5, but he’s content with letting the game come to him.
Another guard doing some scoring for UCLA is Jules Bernard, who is chipping in with 12.8 points and 5.1 rebounds per contest. The Bruins also have point guard Tyger Campbell scoring 11.2 points per game while leading the team with 4.7 assists a night.
Playing It Close
The Trojans haven’t had any easy games of late, with their last five contests being decided by single digits. USC is hoping to get some consistency as it heads down the stretch of the regular season, but it won’t be easy, with two games against the Bruins as well as contests against Washington, Oregon, and Arizona still on the slate.
If USC is going to make a move back up the Pac-12 standings, it will likely be behind the play of forward Isaiah Mobley. The junior is averaging team-highs in scoring (14.7 points), rebounds (8.5), and steals (0.9) while also averaging 3.2 assists and 1.0 blocks per contest.
Guard Boogie Ellis is also a key contributor, averaging 12.8 points per outing. Ellis had back-to-back 21-point efforts in wins over California and Arizona State but has scored a total of 21 points in the two games since then.
Guard Drew Peterson is pacing the team with 3.3 assists a game while also contributing 10.9 points and 6.1 rebounds per contest. Peterson had 12 points, eight assists and four blocks in the win over Pacific on Tuesday, snapping a three-game streak of single-digit scoring efforts.
Bruins Get Win
USC has been a bit inconsistent of late, and its close calls against some inferior teams show it’s not quite ready for this contest. The Bruins are going to need to start rounding into tournament form soon if they want a repeat of last year’s run, and that’s going to start in this one.
When making your college basketball picks, take UCLA to win and cover on the road.
