The third time was the charm for UCLA as it beat USC, 72-67, in the Big Ten Tournament championship game on Sunday.
After two defeats to the Trojans earlier this season, including one that cost them the Big Ten regular season title, the Bruins finally got the job done against their crosstown rival.
And with the win, CBS Sports bracketologist Connor Groel projects that UCLA will earn the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament. Selection Sunday is set for Sunday, March 16.
USC controlled much of the first half thanks to JuJu Watkins, and surged ahead by double digits early in the third quarter. That was the high point of their afternoon, however. After Talia von Oelhoffen hit a 3-pointer to put the Trojans up 48-35 with 9:47 remaining in the third, the Bruins outscored them 37-19 the rest of the way.
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The Bruins’ defense stepped up in a major way after the break. They held the Trojans to 22 points on 8 of 36 from the field and forced 10 turnovers in the second half. In particular, they limited Watkins to just 11 points on 15 shots over the final 20 minutes. Watkins destroyed the Bruins in the first two meetings, combining for 68 points, but was unable to do so on Sunday. She scored 29 points, but went just 9 of 28 from the field in the process.
Lauren Betts led the way for the Bruins with 17 points, five rebounds and four blocks, while Londynn Jones and Kiki Rice chipped in 13 points apiece. As a team, the Bruins shot 52.3% from the field, including 8 of 15 from 3-point range.
NCAA Tournament seeding at stake
Heading into Sunday, CBS Sports bracketologist Connor Groel projected that both of these teams would be No. 1 seeds in the NCAA Tournament, regardless of the result. Not all No. 1 seeds are created equal, though, so there was still plenty at stake besides the Big Ten Tournament crown.
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That became even more true when Texas — the projected No. 1 overall seed heading into Sunday — was crushed by South Carolina in the SEC Tournament championship game. Groel’s updated projection after Texas’ loss had the winner of the Big Ten title game earning the No. 1 overall seed and the loser receiving the fourth and final No. 1 seed in the field.
That winner turned out to be UCLA thanks to its dominant second half. While we’ll have to wait for Selection Sunday to see the actual bracket, the Bruins should have the easiest path to the Final Four.
UCLA’s defense shuts down JuJu Watkins
Watkins came into Sunday’s showdown feeling extremely confident, and for good reason.
The first time these teams met this season, Watkins put up 38 points, 11 rebounds, five assists and eight blocks to become the first Division I player in the last 20 years to have a 35-point, five-assist, five-block game. In the rematch eight days ago, she went for 30 points, three rebounds, five assists, two steals and three blocks to clinch the Big Ten regular season title.
So when she made her first three shots on Sunday, it seemed like we were in store for another Watkins masterclass. UCLA had other ideas this time.
With Gabriela Jaquez and Angela Dugalic leading the way at the point of attack, the Bruins pressured Watkins all over the floor, crowded her space and pressured her into tough shots and turnovers. Watkins had just 11 points on 4 of 15 from the field and five turnovers in the second half as the Bruins surged ahead.
One possession early in the fourth quarter summed up the effort. Watkins was able to split their defense on the perimeter, but there were two Bruins waiting in the paint, which forced her to double clutch on her shot and allowed Betts time to recover. The 6-foot-7 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year simply snatched the ball out of Watkins’ hands.
Betts steps up in the second half
At her best, Betts is one of the most impactful players in college basketball. In the first half on Sunday, however, she was mostly an afterthought. She scored four points on 2 of 5 from the field and grabbed just two rebounds as the Trojans built an early lead.
That flipped after the break, as Betts reminded everyone why she was announced as one of the finalists for the John Wooden Award hours before tip-off. Betts did not come off the floor in the second half and took over on both ends. She put up 13 points on a perfect 5 of 5 shooting and 3 of 3 from the foul line while grabbing three rebounds and adding two steals and three blocks.
“I don’t think you guys understand, I’m so freaking proud of this team,” Betts said. “We earned that game. We earned it. We worked our butts off. We stayed together. We learned. We could have given up after we lost to them back-to-back. We lost that regular season [title], and we just weren’t done. That wasn’t enough. We would not be denied this game and I’m so freaking proud of everybody. We all came out to compete.”
If the Bruins get the second-half version of Betts in the NCAA Tournament, they can absolutely win the first national championship in program history.
