This is the game all Big Ten aficionados have been waiting for. We have the No. 1 UCLA Bruins facing the No. 6 USC Trojans in a B1G LA showdown.
This marquee matchup begins at 10 p.m. ET on Thursday, Feb. 13 and can be viewed on Peacock. While both teams are local, they will be in Trojan territory, with the contest taking place inside a sold-out Galen Center.
How USC can win
The Trojans will be at home, but they will be underdogs against the Bruins. UCLA is unbeaten, and in winning 23 games, they have beaten top teams like South Carolina, Ohio State and Maryland.
To defeat the undefeated, USC will have to slow down Lauren Betts as much as possible. The Bruins’ junior center is averaging 19.6 points and 9.7 rebounds per game. The best way to diminish her impact is by denying her the ball as much as possible. That means fronting her, getting her out of position and keeping her off the glass. Easier said than done, but that’s the job on Thursday night.
JuJu Watkins, the Trojans’ sophomore sensation, has struggled recently, scoring less than 20 points in her last two games. USC will need her at her best to win. She probably needs to produce 30-plus points to give her team a chance to pull off the upset.
It’s not just the Watkins show, however. Kiki Iriafen and…
