NCAA Tournament Implications After UCLA Bruins Beat USC Trojans To Win Big Ten Tournament

The UCLA Bruins won the 2025 Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament after beating the USC Trojans and superstar JuJu Watkins on Sunday. With the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament potentially on the line, the Bruins overcame a 13-point deficit to win the conference tournament.

UCLA Bruins center Lauren Betts (51) points up after scoring Saturday, March 8, 2025, in a semifinals game at the 2025 TIAA Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament between the UCLA Bruins and the Ohio State Buckeyes at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. / Grace Smith/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The USC Trojans lost to the UCLA Bruins 72-67 in the 2025 Big Ten Women's Basketball Championship Game on Sunday. The Women of Troy led by as many as 13 points in the first half, but the Bruins stormed back to take the lead in the final frame.

It was the third meeting of the year between the crosstown rivals with USC having won the previous two. The Bruins' only two losses on the season have come against the Trojans, but UCLA's first win over USC could not have come at a better time. With Sunday's result, UCLA ends the season as Big Ten Tournament champions while the Trojans won the regular season crown.

UCLA Bruins center Lauren Betts (51) points up after scoring Saturday, March 8, 2025, in a semifinals game at the 2025 TIAA Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament between the UCLA Bruins and the Ohio State Buckeyes at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. / Grace Smith/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

After the game, Bruins star Lauren Betts was interviewed on the court by CBS Sports' A.J. Ross.

"I don't think you guys understand. I'm so freaking proud of this team. We earned that game. We earned it. We worked our butts off, we stayed together, we learned, we could have given up after we lost to them back to back. We lost that regular season, and we just weren't done. That wasn't enough. We would not be denied this game and I'm so freaking proud of everybody. We all came out to compete," said Betts.

USC led for the the entire second and third quarters, but UCLA reclaimed the lead in the fourth quarter. The Trojans went ice cold in the second half, especially the fourth quarter. USC's first made field goal in the final frame came with 1:10 remaining in the game.

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Trojans superstar JuJu Watkins led all scorers with 29 points as she passed former Iowa Hawkeyes guard Caitlin Clark for the most points scored in the first two years of a women's college basketball player's career. However, it wasn't enough to get the win as Betts led UCLA with 17 points of her own, adding four blocks as well. Bruins guards Kiki Rice and Londynn Jones each finished with 13 points

Both USC and UCLA are expected to receive No. 1 seeds when the NCAA Tournament field is revealed on Sunday, March 16. Joining them should be the Texas Longhorns and the South Carolina Gamecocks. Texas and South Carolina played each other in the SEC Tournament Championship Game, and the Gamecocks beat the Longhorns 64-25.

USC Trojans guard JuJu Watkins (12) reacts to the cation Saturday, March 8, 2025, in a semifinals game at the 2025 TIAA Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament between the Iowa Hawkeyes and the Ohio State Buckeyes at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. / Grace Smith/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Texas and USC are ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the AP Top-25 Poll, respectively, but the top of the rankings are sure to shuffle on Monday. The losses from Texas and USC also leave the No. 1 overall seed in March Madness up for grabs.

Will the Bruins claim the top seed after finally defeating the Trojans and winning the Big Ten Championship? How much will UConn benefit from the Longhorns and Trojans stumbling on Sunday? The first round of the NCAA Tournament is set to begin on March 21.

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