At the start of this college basketball season, USC and UCLA looked like they were headed down very different paths. The Trojans were essentially starting from scratch again in Year 2 under Eric Musselman, with a roster that had more new faces than returning ones.
Building chemistry and a winning culture was going to be a tall order. Meanwhile, over in Westwood, the Bruins entered the season with sky-high expectations.
Ranked No. 12 in the preseason AP Poll, they were widely seen as a legitimate Final Four contender.
Fast forward to February, and things have evened out in a way few could’ve predicted. USC, sitting at 17-6, has outpaced early expectations, while UCLA, now 16-7, has stumbled enough to land closer to the bubble conversation than the top of the bracket. And after the teams’ most recent outings, it’s USC that might actually have the edge in the all-important résumé comparison.
The turning point? Tuesday night’s action.
UCLA did what it was supposed to do-handled Rutgers in a blowout at home. It was a necessary win, and the margin of victory helps the Bruins’ metrics, but it doesn’t move the needle in terms of NCAA Tournament implications.
Beating Rutgers, at this point, is more about avoiding a bad loss than adding a quality win.
USC, on the other hand, hosted Indiana and came away with a win that carries a lot more weight. It’s not just that the Trojans beat a fellow bubble team-it’s that they did something UCLA couldn’t.
Just a few days earlier, the Bruins lost at home to that same Indiana squad. And in the world of tournament selection, common-opponent comparisons matter.
This result puts USC in a stronger position, at least for now. Indiana’s stock may have dipped slightly with the loss, but for USC, it’s still a quality win.
For UCLA, it’s a missed opportunity that now looks worse in hindsight. The Bruins needed Indiana to keep winning so that home loss could be chalked up as a respectable defeat.
Instead, it’s trending in the other direction, and that tightens the margin for error down the stretch.
With both teams hovering near the bubble, every game down the stretch matters. And that makes the upcoming crosstown showdowns between USC and UCLA even more compelling. The rivals face off twice in their final four regular-season games, and those matchups could very well be the difference between dancing in March or watching from home.
So, if you’re a college hoops fan in Los Angeles-or just someone who loves high-stakes basketball-circle those games on your calendar. The rivalry is heating up, and this time, there’s more than just bragging rights on the line.