Sunday afternoon, the women’s basketball regular season will come to a close for both USC and UCLA as the crosstown rivals face off at Galen Center at 3 p.m.

In their first matchup on Jan. 3, the Bruins won in dominant fashion in front of their home fans, sending the Trojans packing after an 80-46 blowout — the worst of USC Head Coach Lindsay Gottlieb’s tenure.

But, who will prevail this time around? Sports editors from the Daily Bruin and Daily Trojan have come together in a brief moment of unity to predict the outcome of Sunday’s rivalry match.

Willa Campion — Assistant Sports Editor, Daily Bruin

Last year, the Trojans were the Bruins’ Achilles’ heel. 

An otherwise dominant regular season that saw UCLA take down reigning national champions South Carolina to claim a spot atop the Associated Press’ Top 25 for 12 consecutive weeks was marked up with just two blemishes — both penned by USC. 

While the Bruins may have thrown the final punch with a 72-67 win over the Trojans to claim the Big Ten Tournament title, their victory in Indianapolis was less about what they did right and more about what their crosstown rivals did wrong — namely shooting just 21.1% from the field and 12.5% from beyond the arc in the fourth quarter.

This season, though, the rivalry narrative has been one of blue-and-gold domination. 

Since a disjointed loss to No. 4 Texas on Nov. 26, UCLA has only won, constructing a perfect conference record featuring wins over No. 8 Michigan and then-No. 8 Iowa. If there were any concerns that the Trojans would be the ones to throw a wrench in the Bruins’ flawless Big Ten streak in back-to-back years, they were quickly vanquished with a 34-point victory from Head Coach Cori Close’s squad over its crosstown counterpart on Jan. 3. 

The first meeting of the year between the rivals had the makings of a contentious contest, too. With the programs’ all-time record deadlocked at 52-52, a lot was on the line for a midseason game between two ranked opponents. 

But UCLA was able to limit freshman guard phenom Jazzy Davidson to just 10 points and USC’s offense as a whole to 27% shooting from the field to give Pauley Pavilion a dominant showing. 

With senior center Lauren Betts continuing to lead the Big Ten in double-doubles with 11, senior guard Kiki Rice facilitating the offense with her versatility across the court and graduate guard Gianna Kneepkens making easy work out of 3-point shooting, the Bruins’ path to yet another rivalry win is looking comfortable. 

Galen Center should expect an 85-67 win from UCLA, which boasts some of the best depth in the nation and the crucial collegiate experience of a senior-heavy lineup.

Kai Assad — Sports Editor, Daily Trojan

Before the season, I was aware of the importance that this game had — and has always had. We’ve played more games against UCLA than any other opponent, and although we have a losing record all-time, we are 4-2 in the age of superstar junior guard JuJu Watkins. However, Watkins has been out the entire season rehabbing an ACL tear, and the 80-46 Bruin beatdown earlier this season was the worst of Gottlieb’s USC career.

But things have changed since that loss, notably on the offensive front. Davidson, who has spearheaded the team all season, has greatly improved; she hasn’t shot under .300 from the field in a single game since Jan. 15. Senior guard Kara Dunn has come alive as a scorer, and sophomore guard Kennedy Smith has found her groove after an uncharacteristically poor offensive start to the season.

Maybe the most important distinction is the emergence of redshirt freshman forward Laura Williams. For the majority of the season, the Trojan frontcourt was juggling between multiple forwards with none standing out, but since Feb. 5, Williams has been the sole big in USC’s starting lineup, and for good reason, as she provides a much-needed defensive presence.

This will be sorely needed against the Bruins, who scored nearly as many points in the paint as USC did in total during their last meeting. Betts is a force to be reckoned with, and that’s not to mention the impact of her co-star Rice. Although USC’s offensive and defensive improvements provide me with more faith than I would have had earlier in the season, I think UCLA will ultimately take the victory, 70-58.

Bennett Christofferson — Sports Editor, Daily Trojan

A year ago, this prediction would have looked very different. USC and UCLA stood equal as titans of women’s basketball, combining for a 53-4 regular-season record and earning two of the No. 1 seeds in the 2025 NCAA Tournament.

However, it is no longer 2025. While the Bruins look better than ever and have lost just one game all season, the Trojans have not enjoyed nearly the same level of success, a fact made abundantly clear by UCLA’s dominant 80-46 victory in the squads’ first matchup in January.

Though USC is playing far better than it was at the start of the new year — Davidson has emerged as a genuine superstar, and Smith and Dunn have both found their stride — the Trojans are still nowhere close to being able to compete with their crosstown rivals and will enter the regular season’s finale reeling from a brutal loss to Big Ten bottom-feeder Penn State.

Sunday’s matchup will be much closer than the rivalry’s first edition, thanks to a rejuvenated USC offense that has scored at least 70 points in seven of its last eight games. Davidson will once again put the Trojans on her back with a monster performance, matching Betts blow-for-blow as the two put up 30 points apiece.

Nevertheless, the Bruins’ far superior lineup depth will prevail once again, securing UCLA a No. 1 seed in the upcoming NCAA Tournament while sending USC back to the bubble. My prediction: UCLA 83, USC 65.