LOS ANGELES — The first game was more of an event than a game. The stands were packed, from newcomers to women’s basketball to those who have followed for years as well as family members.
Even a handful of celebrities were on hand to watch the then-No. 6 USC women’s basketball team knock off UCLA, then ranked No. 1 in the country, by 11 points. The noise inside USC’s Galen Center that night was deafening, but not loud enough to drown out the sound of the stakes in this crosstown rivalry being raised to the rafters.
The second matchup will be more game than event.
The final regular-season showdown at UCLA’s Pauley Pavilion on Saturday night is expected to again bring out the fans and celebrities, having been sold out since Feb. 12. But there is so much more on the line this time than just another victory for either team, making this the biggest college basketball game in Los Angeles this season.
For starters, the second-ranked Bruins (28-1 overall, 16-1 Big Ten) want revenge. The No. 4 Trojans (26-2, 16-1) handed them their lone loss of the season, a 71-60 defeat that knocked them from the top spot in the rankings, and they want to finish the regular season on top.
The Big Ten Conference regular-season title will be decided by the outcome, with UCLA and USC holding down the top two spots and the winner getting the top seed for next week’s conference tournament in Indianapolis.
Then, not to be overlooked, are the city bragging rights in this longstanding rivalry.
“We have a plan and sticking to that is our primary thing to do here,” USC senior center Rayah Marshall said after Thursday’s practice.
“Obviously, UCLA is good. They haven’t lost a game at home and it’s for all the marbles here. So, we are looking to come into Pauley Pavilion and cause an upset.”
In the first meeting, Trojans star JuJu Watkins carried her team with 38 points and eight blocked shots, each swat sending the sold-out crowd into a frenzy and sparking a joy in her game that had diminished.
Looking back to the Feb. 13 game, the sophomore sensation said she needed to shrug off the heavy expectations she carries into each game to be able to lead her team.
“I think (now) just don’t take it that seriously, honestly. I mean, at the end of the day it’s a game,” Watkins said. “To me, it’s much more than that, but just realizing that it’s a game at the end of the day, just go out there, have fun.”
USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb said nothing Watkins does comes as a surprise anymore, especially the way she handles the fame that has come with her burgeoning success. Watkins is averaging 24.2 points, 6.9 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game in her second college season and has been featured in TV commercials and on billboards.
“Not only does she handle it with a lot of humility and grace, but then she also finds ways to raise her own bar on her own ceiling,” Gottlieb said. “She’s so committed to getting better. I don’t know that I’ve had a player ever just look inward (asking) what can I do to help make myself better and the team better.
“But she’s pretty remarkable in how she handles the craziness around her.”
The craziness will start again Saturday as the Trojans attempt to contain 6-foot-7 UCLA center Lauren Betts, who posted her 13th double-double of the season against USC, and junior guard Kiki Rice, who added 15 points and six assists in the loss.
“It’s an incredible spot to be in, to be in a championship game on the last day of the regular season and to be able to control our own destiny,” Gottlieb said. “We don’t have to wait and hope somebody else loses. It’s at our fingertips. And yet it’s a very hard task because UCLA is really good too. But it’s an incredible thing that I definitely don’t take for granted.”
No. 4 USC at No. 2 UCLA
When: Saturday, 6 p.m.
Where: Pauley Pavilion
TV: FOX (Ch. 11)