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The USC Trojans are set to host their inner-city rival, the UCLA Bruins, in a PAC-12 showdown, featuring some of the top talents in college basketball.
USC's win on Thursday night made the stakes even bigger for the rivalry matchup on Saturday. If the Trojans acome away with a win on Saturday night over the Bruins, they will force a two-way tie for first place atop the conference standings.
Match Details
Fixture: UCLA Bruins vs USC Trojans - NCAA Men's College Basketball
Date and Time: Saturday, February 6, 10 PM ET
Venue: Galen Center, Los Angeles, California
UCLA Bruins Preview
The UCLA Bruins will be coming into the game with a couple of extra days of rest due to their matchup against the Oregon Ducks being postponed earlier in the week.
In the latest game we saw of the Bruins, they were able to outlast the Oregan State Beavers in a 57-52 overtime win. Close games are nothing new for the Bruins. Of their nine Pac-12 wins, seven have been by six points or fewer.
Here is what the UCLA Bruins starting forward, Cody Riley, had to say after his teams' eighth win in nine games:
It was another one of those games you got to grind out. We didn't panic. The game got close and we could have easily done that.
Coming into this game against the USC Trojans, there are concerns for the UCLA Bruins' health. The Bruins starting guard, Jules Bernard, went down with eight minutes left in the first half against the Beavers and is questionable heading into Saturday's game. Luckily the injury is not as bad as Coach Mick Cronin originally thought:
I thought he blew his elbow out the way he went down. He landed without bracing himself at all.
Key Player - Tyger Campbell
Tyger Campbell is the key player for the UCLA Bruins. The sophomore guard is averaging a team-leading 6.1 assists and is the Bruins' main playmaker on the offensive end.
In Campbell's games against the USC Trojans last season, he scored only 13 points in both games combined.
Campbell will need to not only get his teammates involved through his playmaking ability, but he will also need to score if they are to remain the top team in the PAC-12 conference.
UCLA Bruins' Predicted Lineup
F Cody Riley, G Jules Bernard, G Tyger Campbell, G Jamie Jaquez Jr., G Johnny Juzang
USC Trojans Preview
USC Trojans are coming off a victory over Standford to continue their best start in league play since 2018, when they started with the same 8-2 conference record.
The Trojans have won eight of their last nine games, but their head coach, Andy Enfield, believes they will continue to improve:
We're a better basketball team than we were a few weeks ago, and I also think we could be a better team two or three weeks from now.
The area the USC Trojans need to improve their play the most is their free-throw shooting. As a team, they are shooting 65.4% from the charity-stipe. This could become an issue if the game is close late.
Key Player - Evan Mobley
Evan Mobley is the key player for the USC Trojans. The freshman forward has been one of the top players in college basketball this season. According to ESPN's latest mock draft, Mobley is expected to go second overall in the 2021 NBA draft.
Averaging a team-leading 16.8 points and nine rebounds on 58% shooting, he's been the league’s freshman of the week a record-tying four times this season.
Mobley has scored 62 points in his last three games and will need to stay hot against the UCLA Bruins on Saturday.
USC Trojans' Predicted Lineup
F Isaiah Mobley, F Evan Mobley, G Tahj Eaddy, G Drew Peterson, G Isaiah White
UCLA vs USC Match Prediction
Much like the UCLA Bruins, the Trojans have risen to the top of the standings, more so on their ability to close out games late, rather than a dominating overall performance, so we expect a tightly contested battle.
However, it is unlikely the Bruins will not have an answer for how to handle Evan Mobley in the paint, meaning it is likely he will have another 20+ point game and give the Trojans the edge.
According to ESPN's Basketball Power Index, the USC Trojans have a 61.7% chance of winning.
Where to watch UCLA vs USC
The game will be broadcast live on ESPN.
