UCLA Basketball: Breaking down the match-ups against Cal and Stanford

The UCLA Basketball Bruins clinched a first-round bye in the 2018 Pac-12 Tournament. Now, UCLA must await the match-up between Cal and Stanford.

In the final game of the season, the UCLA Basketball Bruins pulled off a big victory over crosstown rivals, the USC Trojans. UCLA defeated USC for the second time this season, this time by a score of 83-82. This victory cemented UCLA as the fourth-seed in the Pac-12 Tournament, granted the team a first-round bye.

USC already had the second seed in the bag no matter the outcome. However, the Trojans played the Bruins with the same intensity as any other regular season game. It was senior night against their biggest rival; USC did not give UCLA an easy victory.

The game was close throughout up until the Bruins went on a late run. UCLA outscored USC by 17 points in the last 12 minutes to secure the victory. Aaron Holiday led the way with 34 points alongside Kris Wilkes’ 22. Gyorgy Goloman and Thomas Welsh also grabbed nine boards each.

Now, it is time to look towards the Pac-12 tournament. How UCLA performs in the tournament will decide if they can get into the NCAA Men’s National Championship Tournament. The Bruins had a good season, but perhaps not good enough to get in on record alone. They need a stong performance.

Cal and Stanford are squaring off in the first round to decide who gets the honors of facing UCLA. Let’s break down both of the match-ups for the UCLA Basketball Bruins.