How UCLA vs. USC will impact the PAC-12 Tournament
By Jason Reed
The USC Basketball Trojans are set to face the UCLA Basketball Bruins on Saturday in the last game of the season. This game has big Pac-12 implications.
The USC Basketball Trojans are 21-9 with a 12-5 conference record, good enough for second in the Pac-12. The UCLA Basketball Bruins are 19-10 with a 10-7 record, good enough for third in the Pac-12. Although the matchup cannot make up the two-game difference, it will have implications on the PAC-12 tournament.
The PAC-12 tournament is set to take place from March 7 to March 10 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Arizona will enter the tournament as defending champions and the likely first seed. UCLA last won the tournament in 2014 and USC last won the tournament in 2009; the only win in program history.
Before the 12-team tournament is set to tip-off, though, the PAC-12 teams have one more remaining conference game. For USC and UCLA, that final game is against each other at the Galen Center on Saturday at 7:15 p.m. PST. UCLA won the last contest by a score of 82 to 79.
While this game may not hold any implications on the surface, the result of the game will impact the makeup of the PAC-12 standings and ultimately the PAC-12 tournament.
The implications for UCLA
This game is a bigger deal for the UCLA Bruins than it is the USC Trojans. The UCLA Bruns currently hold the third-seed in the PAC-12. However, Utah, Stanford and Washington are all in the mix with a 10-7 conference record.
For the Bruins, a win is pivotal. The win puts them at 11-7 and guarantees the inclusion as a third seed in the PAC-12 tournament. However, depending on the results of the other three teams, a loss can send UCLA down to sixth. UCLA is the only team playing another team with a better record.
The Bruins will close their regular-season schedule at crosstown rival USC on Saturday evening (7:15 pm, PT).
— UCLA Men’s Basketball (@UCLAMBB) February 27, 2018
NOTES: https://t.co/2muDwDSJBs pic.twitter.com/fIQDNtEVSY
While this may not seem like a big deal on the grand scheme of things, it really can be. A third seed in the tournament puts UCLA up against Oregon State (6-11, 14-15); who UCLA defeated 75-68 in the last contest. However, a sixth seed would likely put the Bruins against the Oregon Ducks (7-7, 17-10).
While the Bruins did defeat the Ducks the last go around, Oregon is a much harder matchup for UCLA than Oregon State. Last year, four PAC-12 teams made the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. Three of which were in the final four of the PAC-12 Tournament with the only exception being the at-large bid USC Trojans.
Which leads us to…
The implications for USC
Quite frankly, the implications for USC are not as drastic as the implications for UCLA. Regardless of the outcome, the USC Trojans are going to be the second seed in the PAC-12 tournament. Arizona is one game ahead of the Trojans and won the one contest between the two sides, locking down the first seed.
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USC could take home a share of the PAC-12 title with a win and an Arizona loss. However, Arizona is playing last-place California. It would take a miracle for that upset to happen.
What this game does bring to the table for the Trojans is a sense of confidence and pride. First and foremost, you know the Trojans want to get back that victory from UCLA. A 0-2 season sweep could come into consideration for the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament depending how the PAC-12 Tournament plays out.
Plus, a win in this game gives the Trojans the kind of confidence they need moving forward. Losing Bennie Boatwright to a season-ending knee injury seemed to be the final blow to a promising USC season. Boatwright was averaging the second-most points and rebounds per game.
However, USC is 3-0 after Boatwright went down with the injury against Oregon. USC has won the three games by a combined margin of 50 points.
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A victory over the UCLA Bruins to close the season would cement the confidence that USC may have developed over the course of the last three games. It should be smooth sailing for USC through the first two games. Then, in the semi-finals, we may see yet another UCLA vs. USC matchup.