USC vs UCLA Basketball: Lineups, TV, Odds and Live Stream
Perhaps the biggest game of the season to date, the USC vs. UCLA basketball meeting at Pauley Pavilion is a chance for the Trojans to extend their winning streak over the Bruins.
Pauley Pavilion | Los Angeles, CA7:00 p.m. PT | Pac-12 Network (Live Stream)All-Time Series: UCLA leads 138-108Last meeting: USC 84, UCLA 76 on 1/25
The Trojans are in the midst of a Murder’s Row stretch through the Pac-12 slate, making Saturday night’s USC vs UCLA basketball game an enormous one.
The stretch, which started last week against Oregon and concludes Thursday night at Arizona’s McKale Center, features three teams ranked in the Top 10. USC, who is projected to be about a No. 7 seed in the NCAA Tournament, likely needs just one win over three to solidify its place in the Big Dance.
But the Bruins and Wildcats are a combined 26-1 at home, with the lone blemish being Arizona’s win over UCLA at Pauley Pavilion last month. The Trojans will try to serve the second L, which would extend their winning streak over their rivals to five.
MUST READ: Current USC Basketball Bracketology Projections
USC won the first meeting 84-76, despite UCLA opening the game on an 8-0 run. It was a defensive clinic, as Andy Enfield’s team held the Bruins to just their second-fewest points of the season.
Sixth-ranked UCLA (23-3) –led by super freshmen Lonzo Ball and T.J. Leaf– are an explosive, and yet hyper-efficient up-tempo team.
The Bruins lead the nation in scoring (91.1 points per game), field goal percentage (53.3 percent) and assists (21.7 per game). They rank third in three-point shooting, at 41.8 percent.
For the Trojans, they’ll not only need a repeat performance of their January shutdown, but also come through on the offensive end themselves.
Bennie Boatwright was just 1-of-9 from three-point range in last week’s loss to Oregon, while point guard Jordan McLaughlin hasn’t scored more than six points in each of his last games.
The rivalry tips off at 7:00 p.m. on the Pac-12 Network, and can be streamed online.
Probable Starters
UCLA:
G #2 Lonzo Ball, 6-6, 190, Fr.G #10 Isaac Hamilton, 6-5, 195, Sr.G #20 Bryce Alford, 6-3, 185, Sr.F #22 T.J. Leaf, 6-10, 225, Fr.C #40 Thomas Welsh, 7-0, 245, Jr.
USC:
G #11 Jordan McLaughlin, 6-1, 180, Jr.G #22 De’Anthony Melton, 6-4, 190, Fr.G #30 Elijah Stewart, 6-5, 190, Jr.F #25 Bennie Boatwright, 6-10, 230, So.F #4 Chimezie Metu, 6-11, 225, So.
Channel Listings:
DirecTV: —Dish: Channel 406/409AT&T U-Verse: Channel 759/1759Verizon FiOS: —Time Warner Cable: Channel 375/376 or Click here for your local guide.
Live Stream: Pac-12 Network Stream
Odds:
UCLA opened up as big 12-point favorites, but while the line to dropped to as low as 9.5, the Bruins’ edge now stands at 10 points, per Vegas Insider’s consensus.