No. 1 UCLA and No. 6 USC meet for the first time this season in a rivalry clash

The GIST: Did somebody say rivalry? One of the season’s most anticipated matchups goes down tomorrow at 10 p.m. ET as No. 1 UCLA takes on crosstown rival No. 6 USC on Peacock. This game has a little bit of everything, which adds up to a whole lot of excitement. You’re in for a treat.

One game, two Player of the Year (PoY) candidates: UCLA junior center Lauren Betts and USC sophomore guard JuJu Watkins are two of the leading contenders for the honor. Betts averages 19.6 points and 9.7 rebounds for the undefeated Bruins, while Watkins puts up 23.9 points and 4 assists per game for the Trojans. Holy moly.

Kiki vs. Kiki: In addition to both teams boasting a potential POY, both also have a superstar named Kiki. UCLA guard Kiki Rice was the No. 2–rated player in the 2022 recruiting class, behind Betts, and plays a key role for the Bruins, averaging 12.7 points per game.

• Meanwhile, Kiki Iriafen cut her teeth with Stanford last season before transferring to USC to bolster the Trojans’ NCAA title chances.

• Fun fact: UCLA’s Betts and USC’s Iriafen, who will be battling in the paint, both played for Stanford during the 2022-23 season. *Insert spiderman meme here*

New conference, same rivalry: This is the first time the Bruins and Trojans will square off as members of the Big Ten, after their schools set off the recent wave of conference realignment. But it’s certainly not their first big-time matchup: They last met in the 2024 Pac-12 tourney, when USC claimed an 80–70 overtime win. Drama, drama.