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USC at UCLA women’s basketball: How to watch battle for Los Angeles between top-five teams

We’ve got No. 4 USC and second-ranked UCLA. It’s JuJu Watkins vs. Lauren Betts in a battle of Player of the Year contenders, Kiki Iriafen vs. Kiki Rice in a battle of, well, Kikis, Westwood vs. downtown Los Angeles. The party’s here on the west side come Saturday night.

How to watch No. 4 USC at No. 2 UCLA

Venue: Pauley Pavilion — Los Angeles

Time: 9 p.m. ET Saturday

TV: FOX

Streaming: Fubo (try for free)

Watching in-person? Get tickets on StubHub

We’ve seen this show before. Watkins stole every scene in the last episode:

The USC ultra-bucket deserves to be celebrated in every national look. Her handle is getting tighter, her footwork is meticulous and the deep shot looks so saucy right now. Oh, just for fun, she has 15 blocks in her last four games. Watkins put up 38 points in that Feb. 13 trouncing of then-unbeaten UCLA. She’ll look to reprise that performance Saturday, just 12 miles southeast of campus.

Even in a sprawling city with limitless star power, Watkins has emerged as an airy, swaggering force across Los Angeles. She’s an L.A. native putting up video game numbers for her hometown school, with a real shot to top Lisa Leslie and Cheryl Miller for program records.

However, this Trojans squad wouldn’t be in national title contention without the deep talent around her. Fellow Angeleno Kiki Iriafen had 24 points and 10 rebounds in last week’s win over Michigan State, then scored 22 to get past Illinois on Sunday. Freshman and Chino native Kennedy Smith can heat up on the 3 ball. Lindsay Gottlieb’s squad is formidable on defense and gets to the foul line consistently. They lead the country in blocks and the conference in offensive rebounds, overwhelming opposing frontcourts.

UCLA responded to that first and only loss by beating Michigan State, Illinois, Iowa and Wisconsin. That last win was a 30-point beatdown on Wednesday night. Betts was masterful in her beatdown of the Badgers: 26 points on 11-for-12 shooting and 10 boards. Betts is approaching a full three blocks per game in her junior campaign, and her low-post matchup with Iriafen should be compelling. She was just 5-for-13 with four turnovers in that Feb. 13 matchup.

Cori Close’s crew wins at the rim and off the glass. Angela Dugalic is a pesky defender. Rice has emerged as a suitable running mate for the All-American Betts, leading the Big Ten in offensive rating and gaining confidence as an initiator. She gives the Bruins some full-court juice:

Both California programs have gracefully taken to the Big Ten in this inaugural year. USC is atop the standings at 15-1, with UCLA right behind at 14-1. The conference’s biggest game of the year is quite far from its Midwestern roots. All eyes on sunny LA to jump start March.

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.

USC Trojans, UCLA Bruins, Women's College Basketball, Sports Betting

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