UCLA Bruins vs. USC Trojans: How to Watch, Game Info, Betting Odds
Looking for a season sweep over their crosstown rival, the Bruins will try to pick up their first victory on the Trojans' home court since 2018.
WHO: UCLA vs. USC
DATE: Thursday, Jan. 26
TIME: 6 p.m. PT
LOCATION: Galen Center, Los Angeles, CA
TV: ESPN2 – Dave Pasch (play-by-play), Bill Walton (analyst)
STREAMING: fuboTV (Start your free trial)
RADIO: AM 1150, Sirius Ch. 83, SXM App 83 – Josh Lewin (play-by-play), Tracy Murray (analyst)
SPREAD: UCLA -4.5 (-110), USC +4.5 (-118)*
MONEY LINE: UCLA -213, USC, +160
OVER/UNDER: O 134 (-118), U 134 (-110)*
UCLA came in at No. 8 in the most recent AP Poll and No. 7 in the USA Today Coaches Poll, and is currently No. 5 in the NET Rankings, No. 3 in the KenPom, No. 3 in the T-Rank and No. 3 in the BPI. USC did not appear in either the AP Poll or Coaches Poll, and is currently No. 62 in the NET, No. 49 in the KenPom, No. 45 in the T-Rank and No. 61 in the BPI.
The Bruins were the heavy favorite to win the Pac-12 this season, earning the No. 1 spot in the preseason media poll with 26 first-place votes. The Trojans, on the other hand, came in at No. 4. According to the T-Rank WinMatrix, UCLA has a 95.7% chance of winning a share of the conference title, while USC has a 2.1% chance.
UCLA is led by coach Mick Cronin, who is in his fourth season with the program. Cronin boasts a 85-33 record since arriving in Westwood and a 450-204 record as a head coach overall, including his stints at Murray State and Cincinnati.
The Bruins are currently 17-3, including an 8-1 record in Pac-12 play. Following a winless weekend in Las Vegas in November, UCLA rattled off 14 wins in a row, including victories over USC, Arizona State, Washington State, Utah, then-No. 20 Maryland and then-No. 13 Kentucky. The streak came to an end in Tucson last weekend, though, when No. 6 Arizona pulled away for a 58-52 win.
UCLA is averaging 75.3 points per game while allowing 59.8 points per game, which rank No. 101 and No. 10 in the country, respectively. The Bruins have the No. 22 adjusted offense and No. 3 adjusted defense in the KenPom. Their 17.1 turnovers forced per game are top-25 in the country, and their 10.0 turnovers per game are in the top 10.
Guard/forward Jaime Jaquez Jr. leads UCLA with 16.1 points and 7.2 rebounds per game. Guard Jaylen Clark is averaging 13.9 points, 7.0 rebounds and 2.7 steals per game, while point guard Tyger Campbell is averaging 13.8 points and 4.6 assists per game. Freshmen Amari Bailey, Dylan Andrews and Adem Bona, meanwhile, are each emerging as secondary options alongside veteran sharpshooter David Singleton, and Bailey is reportedly set to return to action Thursday after missing the last seven games.
USC is led by coach Andy Enfield, who is in his 10th season with the Trojans. Enfield has gone to five NCAA tournaments across his 12 seasons as a head coach at the Division I level, and he has a 238-152 career record including his stint at Florida Gulf Coast.
The Trojans enter Thursday with an 14-6 record, but it has been a true up-and-down season for the team thus far. USC lost to Enfield's former team, Florida Gulf Coast, at home in the season opener. After bouncing back with a four-game winning streak, the Trojans lost close ones to then-No. 22 Tennessee and Wisconsin at the Battle 4 Atlantis, but they did recover with a seven-game winning streak that included a 3-0 start to Pac-12 play and a win over then-No. 19 Auburn. USC is 3-3 since the start of the New Year, though, losing games to Washington State, UCLA and Arizona while defeating Colorado, Utah and Arizona State.
USC is averaging 71.2 points per game while allowing 66.3 points per game, which rank No. 189 and No. 91 in the country, respectively. The Trojans have the No. 68 adjusted offense and No. 43 adjusted defense in the KenPom. USC is holding its opponents to 41.7% shooting on 2-pointers, ranking No. 1 in the country in that stat.
Senior guards Boogie Ellis and Drew Peterson lead the way for the Trojans, averaging 15.6 and 14.0 points per game, respectively, on a combined 9.6 3-point attempts per game. USC has four players that average between 7.0 and 9.9 points per game – guard Reese Dixon-Waters, guard Tre White, forward Joshua Morgan and guard Kobe Johnson. Five-star freshman center Vincent Iwuchukwu recently rejoined the team as well after collapsing during a team workout, although he has only played 10 minutes per game across his four appearances.
UCLA is 146-114 against USC all-time, with the Bruins winning last year's regular season finale and the matchup in the Pac-12 tournament. Those were the first victories over the Trojans under Cronin, however, as UCLA was coming off an 0-5 stretch against USC thanks to a handful of buzzer-beaters, injuries and upsets.
*Odds via SI Sportsbook
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