UCLA vs. USC Pac-12 Tournament: How to Watch, Game Info, Betting Odds

The third meeting of the season between the two fierce crosstown rivals is on the docket for Friday night, with the Bruins and Trojans facing off with a spot in the Pac-12 Championship Game on the line.

WHO: UCLA vs. USC

DATE: Friday, March 11

TIME: 8:30 p.m. PT

LOCATION: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, NV

TV: FS1 – Joe Davis (play-by-play), Casey Jacobsen (analyst)

STREAMING: fuboTV – Get 7-day Free Trial

RADIO: AM 570, Sirius Ch. TBD, XM Ch. TBD, SXM App Ch. TBD – Josh Lewin (play-by-play), Tracy Murray (analyst)

SPREAD: UCLA -5.5 (-118), USC +5.5 (-110)*

MONEY LINE: UCLA (-300), USC (+200)*

OVER/UNDER: O 134.5 (-110), U 134.5 (-118)

UCLA is the No. 13 team in the country according to the AP Poll and the USA Today Coaches Poll. USC is No. 21 in both polls.

The latest KenPom ratings have the Bruins at No. 10 and the Trojans at No. 40, while the NET Rankings slot UCLA in at No. 12 and USC at No. 32. Bracketologists are in agreement that the Bruins are currently in line to be a high No. 4 seed in the NCAA tournament, with a few wins possibly bumping them up a seedline or two, while the Trojans are in the range for a No. 6 seed.

UCLA finished the regular season 23-6, featuring notable wins over Arizona, Villanova, Marquette and USC. Losses to Arizona State and Oregon set the Bruins back in February, but both of those defeats came on the road and their only home loss this year came when fans were not allowed in the stands due to COVID-19 restrictions.

A 75-65 win over Washington State in the quarterfinals on Thursday powered UCLA into the semifinals for the first time since 2018, and they are now winners in seven of their last eight contests.

The Bruins are averaging 76.7 points per game and allowing 64.3. UCLA boasts the best scoring defense and second-best scoring offense in the Pac-12 while also being in the top five in the nation in limiting their turnovers at just 9.2 per game.

Guard Johnny Juzang is UCLA's top scorer so far this season with 16.2 points per game, while guard/forward Jaime Jaquez Jr., guard Jules Bernard and guard Tyger Campbell are averaging 13.7, 12.5 and 11.4 a night, respectively. Campbell has the most assists per game with 4.3 and center Myles Johnson has the most rebounds per game with 5.8 while shooting a team-best 61.8% from the field.

Jaquez has scored 80 points across his last three games, also recording two double-doubles in his last six outings.

The Trojans finished the regular season 25-6 thanks to them churning through nonconference play without a loss. Their only power conference win in that period came over Georgia Tech, though, a team that went 12-20 on the season. USC was swept by both Arizona and Stanford in its Pac-12 schedule, splitting with Oregon and UCLA.

The Trojans are averaging 73.0 points per game and allowing 65.8. USC leads the Pac-12 in offensive rebounding, ranks second in 3-point percentage and is holding its opponents to just 41.5% shooting on 2s, but its perimeter defense is far and away the worst in the West and their overall defense ranks in the bottom half of the conference as a result.

Like UCLA, USC also has four players averaging double-digit points per game – forward Isaiah Mobley, guard Drew Peterson, guard Boogie Ellis and forward Chevez Goodwin. Mobley leads the way with 14.4 and 8.5 rebounds a night.

USC trailed to Washington at the half Thursday night, and narrowly ground out a victory down the stretch as the Huskies missed 14 of their final 16 field goal attempts. Ellis was the only Trojan who scored in double figures in the game.

Mick Cronin is now in his 19th season as a head coach, and he has an all-time record of 430-199 with 12 NCAA tournament appearances across stints at Murray State, Cincinnati and UCLA. Andy Enfield is now in his 11th season as a head coach on the opposite bench, and he has an all-time record of 223-144 with one NCAA tournament appearance across his time at Florida Gulf Coast and USC.

UCLA is 122-55 against USC since 1950. The Bruins won the most recent head-to-head matchup last Saturday at Pauley Pavilion, but the Trojans won five in a row before that.

USC won the Feb. 12 matchup 67-64 while UCLA won the regular season rematch 75-68 on March 5.

*Odds via SI Sportsbook

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