Big Ten women's basketball tournament: UCLA, USC set for championship
The Bruins pounded Ohio State and the Women of Troy pulled away late to knock off Michigan in Saturday's semifinals
Google the distance between the campuses of UCLA and USC, and the results show 12 miles.
But it’s Los Angeles traffic. Nothing is quick on the freeway in Southern California. On a good day, it might take 30 minutes. Otherwise, stay buckled up in bumper-to-bumper conditions.
It seems odd that the Bruins and the Women of Troy have traveled over 1,800 miles to play for the third time. Is it too late to move Sunday’s Big Ten tournament championship game to Los Angeles?
This is another reminder of the league’s coast-to-coast nature, where travel distance is more of a storyline than points, rebounds, and assists. Maybe one day we’ll see Indiana and Purdue play for a championship in Los Angeles or Las Vegas - in any sport - and it will seem odd to those on the West Coast.
It’s another JuJu Watkins versus Lauren Betts showdown. It’s another battle between the Big Ten’s top teams, with the winner locking up a No. 1 seed and the loser probably earning one of the other No. 1 seeds in the NCAA tournament.
What’s left to play for? The fight for Los Angeles in the middle of the Midwest?
But there’s another trophy at stake.
Eight days ago, the Women of Troy won the league’s regular-season title during an intense, physical matchup at Pauley Pavilion and swept the season series. Betts was physically assaulted from a basketball standpoint and went to sleep with the images of USC’s swarming defense. Nightmares weren’t this scary.
Meanwhile, Watkins scored 30 points and was a superstar. In the first meeting, she scored and rebounded but also blocked eight shots. That’s why she’s the National Player of the Year.
Will it be 3-0 USC, or will UCLA go 1-0 against its rival outside of LA? Is there a fourth meeting ahead in the NCAA tournament, which would likely happen in the Final Four?
BOX SCORE: USC 82, MICHIGAN 70
BOX SCORE: UCLA 75, OHIO STATE 46
Saturday’s matchups had the name recognition of old-time Rose Bowl games. USC-Michigan. UCLA-Ohio State.
Judging by how the games unfolded, the Bruins were impressive. Betts didn’t score for the first 13 minutes, and her team was ahead by 15. They dismantled a good Ohio State group and never let the Buckeyes find traction in the 29-point loss, the third-largest margin of victory in a Big Ten tournament semifinal.
And here’s one more nugget - UCLA didn’t attempt a free throw.
WHAT’S NEXT FOR PURDUE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL?
Michigan made a push to pull off a surprise and deny us the chance of seeing another Los Angeles matchup. USC was solid down the stretch, behind a combined 33 points from Watkins and Kiki Iriafen in the second half, against a young and talented team that will make noise in the future. This was about the Women of Troy demonstrating that they’re ready for March, delivering a knockout punch at the right moment.
Sunday is the 108th meeting between the programs and the eighth time at a neutral site. However, according to the USC record book, three of the first four matchups were played at unknown locations during the 1971-72 and 1972-73 seasons.
Based on the first two meetings this season and the potential of Sunday’s game, we’ll remember where this one took place.
AFTERNOON TIP
The Big Ten and CBS were thinking ahead.
In anticipation of the conference’s behemoths squaring off in the tournament title game, they decided several months ago to tip off at 4:30 p.m. ET (1:30 p.m. on the West Coast), hoping to lure more viewers from that area of the country.
Otherwise, the title game likely would’ve started at 9 a.m. on the West Coast. The men’s basketball matchup between Michigan and Michigan State has the early time slot.
Finally, a TV decision that makes sense.
SUNDAY’S GAME
No. 2 UCLA (29-2) vs. No. 1 USC (28-2)
Time: 4:30 p.m.
Watch: CBS