UCLA Bruins Insider Podcast: Recapping Bruins' Dominant Win Over USC

The UCLA Bruins (22-9, 13-7) took care of business and more on Saturday night as they defeated arch-rival, USC (15-16, 7-13), at Pauley Pavilion in a dominant landslide victory. A 90-73 win gives the Bruins their first season series sweep over the Trojans since 2018.

In this episode of the UCLA Bruins Insider Podcast, UCLA Bruins On SI beat writer Tom Cavanaugh breaks down what was the most dominant performance they have had against a Big Ten team this season. It was a wire-to-wire victory with so many different Bruins contributing in big ways.

You can watch the episode below:

The Bruins started the game with a 14-2 lead and would never look back. They won the first half by 12 and the second by 15. They had four different scorers in double figures while shooting an astonishing 61.7% from the field and hitting 10 3-pointers (10-22).

Sophomore forward Eric Dailey Jr. had the best game of his collegiate career, dropping a career-high 25 points on 10-13 shooting with four 3s and adding five rebounds and three steals.

Dailey was one of four different Bruins to record multiple steals, contributing to 20 forced turnovers which converted to 37 points. UCLA took 11 more shots than the Trojans and wreaked immense havoc on the defensive end from the opening tip.

It was a full box score for junior guard Skyy Clark as he put up a season-high 17 points on 7-10 shooting with three triples. He tossed six assists with three steals himself. Clark has continued to improve offensively this season and has peaked at the perfect time.

Bruins sophomore center Aday Mara was a monster in the post, earning 14 points with two assists and two blocks. He helped add to a total of 42 points in the paint, another area where USC simply could not hold a candle to the type of physicality and size that the Bruins possess.

Two seniors were honored prior to tip-off as guards Kobe Johnson and Lazar Stefanovic were greeted with standing ovations and framed jerseys from their time with the program. Both guys had just two points, but both had marquee moments in the win.

Johnson continues to be the most dynamic player on the team, grabbing a team-high eight rebounds with four assists and one steal against his former team as a three-year Trojan before transferring to Westwood this past offseason.

Stefanovic was just 1-2 from the field, hitting his lone shot in the waning minutes of the blowout. Chants were heard from the Bruin faithful of "We want Lazar." He delivered with a pull-up jumper from the free-throw line that erupted Pauley Pavilion.

In comeback fashion, the Bruins have engineered a way into being a top-four team in the Big Ten standings, ultimately earning a double bye in the upcoming conference tournament that begins next Wednesday.

The Bruins earned a tiebreaker win over the No. 18 Purdue and No. 12 Wisconsin as all three teams finished 13-7 in conference play. The tiebreaker goes to UCLA because they beat the Big Ten champion, Michigan State Spartans, the only of the three teams to beat Tom Izzo.

UCLA will play either the No. 13, No. 12, or No. 5 seed in the quarterfinals on Friday afternoon in Indianapolis, Ind. Just two wins would lead the Bruins to the Big Ten Championship and a chance to win a title that many did not think they had a chance at after starting the season 2-4 in conference play.

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