The UCLA Bruins are currently the No. 1 team in the Pac-12. The USC Trojans, on the other hand, are just among those in the middle of the pack in the conference. Will UCLA beat the Trojans for the second time this season? Or will USC get a payback? Check out our preview of this UCLA vs USC matchup in the 2022-23 NCAA basketball season.
The Bruins saw their 14-game win streak come to a crashing end last Saturday in a 58-52 road loss to the Arizona Wildcats. That loss, however, shouldn’t make UCLA significantly much less in the eyes of basketball fans. The Bruins are still a team to reckon with, especially because of their defense which remains one of the best in the nation. Teams are scoring just 59.8 points per game and shooting only 40.9 percent against the Bruins, who are also third in the nation with only 87.2 points allowed per 100 possessions adjusted. The Bruins have also beaten USC once this season, scoring a 60-58 home win against their Pac-12 rivals earlier this month.
UCLA is 7-3 against the spread in its last 10 games overall.
USC rebounded right away from its 81-66 thumping at the hands of the Arizona Wildcats on Jan. 19 by taking down the Arizona State Sun Devils last Saturday on the road, 77-69. In that game, combo guard Drew Peterson paced the Trojans with 21 points to go with eight rebounds, while Boogie Ellis chipped in 17 points. Ellis and Peterson are the top two scorers for the Trojans, who are third in the Pac-12 with 104.3 points per 100 possessions adjusted. They combined for only 19 points in the first meeting with UCLA, but as a team, the Trojans actually did better than most Bruins opponents, as they recorded a 50.0 effective field goal percentage. That could be better this Thursday with USC taking its turn as the host in this matchup.
USC is 4-1 against the spread in its last five games as the home team.
