We’ve got No. 4 USC and second-ranked UCLA. It’s JuJu Watkins vs. Lauren Betts in a battle of Player of the Year contenders, Kiki Iriafen vs. Kiki Rice in a battle of, well, Kikis, Westwood vs. downtown Los Angeles. The party’s here on the west side come Saturday night.
How to watch No. 4 USC at No. 2 UCLA
We’ve seen this show before. Watkins stole every scene in the last episode:
The USC ultra-bucket deserves to be celebrated in every national look. Her handle is getting tighter, her footwork is meticulous and the deep shot looks so saucy right now. Oh, just for fun, she has 15 blocks in her last four games. Watkins put up 38 points in that Feb. 13 trouncing of then-unbeaten UCLA. She’ll look to reprise that performance Saturday, just 12 miles southeast of campus.
Even in a sprawling city with limitless star power, Watkins has emerged as an airy, swaggering force across Los Angeles. She’s an L.A. native putting up video game numbers for her hometown school, with a real shot to top Lisa Leslie and Cheryl Miller for program records.
However, this Trojans squad wouldn’t be in national title contention without the deep talent around her. Fellow Angeleno Kiki Iriafen had 24 points and 10 rebounds in last week’s win over Michigan State, then scored 22 to get past…
