The final chapter of the regular season brings the biggest stage.
USC men’s basketball returns to Galen Center on Saturday night for the Crosstown Showdown against UCLA.
The rivalry needs no extra motivation, but the stakes are clear. USC (18-12, 7-12 Big Ten) looks to snap a six-game skid and avenge an 81-62 loss to UCLA in the first Crosstown Showdown on Feb. 24 at Pauley Pavilion.
In that game, UCLA (20-10, 12-7 Big Ten) capitalized on a 30-point performance from senior guard Donovan Dent and a late 13-3 run to pull away. The Trojans shot just 35% from the field and committed 14 turnovers despite outrebounding the Bruins 41-31.
Star graduate guard Chad Baker-Mazara led USC with 25 points in that contest, knocking down five 3-pointers. However, Baker-Mazara is no longer with the program, leaving the Trojans searching for consistent perimeter production down the stretch.
USC enters Saturday’s matchup coming off a 91-72 road loss to Washington on Wednesday night, where the Trojans were outscored 51-29 in the second half after leading by three at halftime.
Freshman guard Alijah Arenas led USC against the Huskies with 19 points and a season-high seven rebounds, while senior forward Ezra Ausar recorded a 17-point, 11-rebound double-double. Sophomore forward Jacob Cofie added 14 points and two blocks, and junior guard Jordan Marsh chipped in 14 points off the bench.
Against Washington, the Trojans were forced to test a new starting lineup with graduate guard Kam Woods, freshman guard Jerry Easter II, Arenas, Cofie and Ausar.
With Baker-Mazara out, USC will lean heavily on its interior core and emerging freshmen.
Arenas has shown flashes of late-game scoring ability and currently averages 14.3 points per contest. He has also been aggressive getting to the line, converting 26 consecutive free throws.
Ausar continues to anchor the offense, averaging 15.0 points and 6.4 rebounds per game while shooting nearly 58% from the field. Cofie, one of the nation’s top shot blockers at 1.7 per game, adds 9.8 points and 6.8 rebounds, and provides a defensive presence for a USC team ranked 10th nationally in blocks (5.5 per game).
The Trojans have built their identity around physical rebounding and attacking the paint, with over half their shots coming at the rim. USC averages 36.7 boards per game and holds a +2.6 margin on the glass.
UCLA enters Saturday fresh off a 72-52 home win over No. 9 Nebraska and has won three of its last four games. The Bruins have now upset three top-10 opponents at home this season.
Senior forward Tyler Bilodeau leads the Bruins at 18.0 points per game while shooting 45% from 3-point range. Dent orchestrates the offense with 13.2 points and 7.5 assists per game and boasts a 1.8 assist-to-turnover ratio as part of a UCLA squad that averages just 9.1 turnovers per game.
The Bruins are one of the most efficient shooting teams in the Big Ten, hitting 46.9% from the field and 37.8% from beyond the arc. Averaging 16.0 assists per game, they are difficult to slow down when they share the ball.
USC will need to take care of the basketball against a UCLA team that thrives on efficiency. Limiting live-ball turnovers will be critical in a rivalry game where every possession carries added weight.
“We have to put 40 minutes together,” head coach Eric Musselman said about the UCLA matchup. “We can’t play 20 minutes or 24 minutes, and certainly the second half [vs. Washington] was not anything we needed from a scoring standpoint or defensively.”
Saturday marks the final opportunity for USC to build momentum before postseason play begins. In a rivalry that rarely follows the script, the Trojans will look to defend their home floor one last time and close the regular season with a statement.
Records reset in March. Bragging rights last all year.
Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. on Saturday at Galen Center.