This week’s USC-UCLA game is a testament to the strength of Los Angeles women’s basketball, a game that is no doubt going to be a thriller. It’s yet another crosstown showdown, this time at Galen Center, where No. 6 USC will take on No. 1 UCLA — their first matchup as Big Ten teams. The Trojans, led by Head Coach Lindsay Gottlieb, are the underdogs in this game, as the Bruins are still yet to lose a game this season.

“I’ve seen [the rivalry] from a distance for so long, but [I am really going] to be a part of it. You can kind of feel the energy at practice, the energy around campus,” said graduate forward Kiki Iriafen in a post-practice interview. “I think it’s super special. Especially with everything going on in the fires, I think it’s honestly a great way for the city of L.A. to all come together and watch some great basketball.”

Most recently, the Trojans (21-2, 11-1 Big Ten) took on No. 9 Ohio State (20-3, 9-3 Big Ten), trouncing the Buckeyes 84-63. Iriafen, who transferred to USC this summer after a storied career with Stanford (11-12, 3-9 ACC), starred in the game, racking up 24 points and 13 rebounds in 35 minutes.

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Iriafen is also the 2024 recipient of the Katarina McClain Award — given to the best power forward in the nation — and has been an integral part of a Gottlieb offense that no longer solely depends on the performance of star sophomore guard JuJu Watkins. Other new additions, like freshmen guards Avery Howell, Kennedy Smith and Kayleigh Heckel have also alleviated some of the reliance on Watkins.

Watkins struggled mightily with her shot in the Ohio State game, sinking just 5 of 21 field goal attempts. In fact, she did not score a field goal until the last two minutes of the third quarter. Watkins finished the game with 17 points, but most of her production came in the fourth quarter after the game’s outcome had been decided.

“We’re just trying to support [Watkins] and make sure that she knows that she has us. Not all the pressure is on her,” said graduate guard Talia von Oelhoffen. “I’m sure it could feel like the weight of the world, with who she is, but just leaning into her teammates and making sure she knows that she can have an off night and still do a lot of good things to contribute to a win. And then obviously, when she has an on night, it’s one of the greatest things in college basketball to watch.”

This scoring slump for Watkins seems to have started after the Trojans’ 79-37 trouncing of Purdue (8-15, 1-11 Big Ten). Since then, Watkins has been consistently shooting well below her season field goal percentage average of 43.0%, culminating in the 23.8% performance against the Buckeyes.

Even with this downturn, Watkins is still the team’s leading scorer, averaging 23.9 points this season, as well as 6.7 rebounds a game.

For UCLA (23-0, 11-0 Big Ten), star junior center Lauren Betts has been integral on both the offensive and defensive sides for Head Coach Cori Close’s squad. Betts, who is averaging 19.6 points and 9.7 rebounds per game, has shown an ability to raise her level against top competition. Against then-No. 8 Maryland on Jan. 26, Betts had a season-high 33 points — making 14 of her 15 field goal attempts.

Iriafen and Betts actually played together at Stanford during the 2022-2023 season, a year where Betts struggled to find comprehensive play time, averaging just 9.6 minutes a game. In April 2023, Betts made the decision to transfer to UCLA and has developed into a star for the Bruins and one of the best players in the nation.

“I think [Betts] has always been a great player, and I think she’s just continuing to grow into who she is. She has such a high ceiling, and she’s gonna be a tough matchup for us, but I’m honestly super proud,” Iriafen said. “It’s weird that we’re rivals this week, but I’m always her biggest supporter, just not on Thursday.”

In last year’s Pacific-12 semifinal against USC, Betts was a huge problem for the Trojans on the boards, pulling down an outstanding 18 rebounds for the Bruins. But USC would go on to win the game in double overtime, with Watkins putting up a double-double with 33 points and 10 rebounds.

“Betts is maybe the most complete player in college basketball, and you have to make some decisions on how to guard her,” Gottlieb said. “She puts you in situations where you have to decide how to limit them.”

Other prolific scorers for the Bruins include junior guards Londynn Jones and Kiki Rice, who are averaging 8.4 and 12.7 points per game on the season, respectively.

No team in the Big Ten has been less than 10 points away from beating the Bruins, with 11-point wins against Washington (14-10, 5-7 Big Ten) and Indiana (15-8, 7-5 Big Ten), the most UCLA has had to sweat out a conference battle.

The Bruins have a 22-game double-digit win streak, with their only win by less than 10 points coming against then-No.17 Louisville in their first game of the season. 

After the UCLA game, the Trojans only have four more Big Ten games, one of which will pit Gottlieb and the Trojans back against the Bruins, this time at Pauley Pavilion. The Trojans, now second in the conference, can snap the Bruins’ incredible streak, as well as capture the belief of fans and detractors alike with a win against their rivals Thursday.

Past the tournament stakes for the Trojans, this battle promises a sold-out Galen, with stars native to L.A., like Watkins and Iriafen, taking to the court in their home city. The development of women’s basketball at USC has been exponential, proven by attendance skyrocketing from 1,037 people per game in 2022 to 5,323 this year.

“Those of us who have been here, we don’t take for granted one minute of one day where we were and what it’s become … I have so much pride in it all the time, of what this feels like now, of how magnetic our players are,” Gottlieb said. “They come to see JuJu, and then they want to be JuJu, Kiki or [senior center Rayah Marshall]. It really is powerful.”

With a sold-out crowd, a determined team and so much on the line, USC will take on UCLA in their first duel of the Big Ten era Thursday at 7 p.m. at Galen Center.