What we learned, what's next after UCLA wins Big Ten women's basketball tournament
The second-seeded Bruins rallied from a 13-point second-half deficit to defeat No. 1 seed USC following two regular-season losses
3 THINGS WE LEARNED
• The Bruins had to travel more than 1,800 miles to knock off their crosstown rival but jetting across the country is nothing new for the program and three other West Coast schools in the first year of the Big Ten. The trip was worth it. They’ll savor this one after losing both regular-season meetings as the Women of Troy claimed the regular-season championship. They’ll savor it after falling behind by 13 points early in the second half. They’ll savor it after limiting USC to 22.2% shooting in the second half, including missing nine and 15 consecutive attempts during two different stretches. They’ll savor it because Lauren Betts shook off the last meeting against USC and delivered a superstar performance in the second half. Betts scored 13 points on 5 of 5 shooting, totaling three of her four blocked shots after halftime. The 6-foot-7 center finished with 17 points and was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player.
“I knew that I wasn't going to get calls, but I think it was the mentality that I had going into the second half that I was going to keep being aggressive,” Betts said. “Kiki (Rice) spoke to me in the locker room as well, just reminding me that I'm not going to get calls, but I just have to keep playing hard, and the outcome will speak for itself.”
UCLA overcame 24 turnovers by outrebounding USC in the second half and shooting 52.3% overall. More importantly, coach Cori Close’s team found its toughness after the two losses to its rival and a subpar first half on Sunday.
“I really wondered what their eyes were going to look like when I went into the locker room at halftime, and they were poised and determined,” Close said. “They knew they had not played their best, and they didn't do the things we needed to do, but they still believed they could turn it.
“I just said, ‘Look, here's where it lies. If we don't win the toughness battle and the possessions battle and we don't get stops, we're not - how bad do you want to win? What does this mean to you?’ ” Close said. ‘They're like, ‘We got you, coach. We're going to get this thing done.’ ”
• The winning teams throughout the tournament discovered their offense after halftime. The Bruins were the latest Sunday, hitting 11 of 19 from the field and outscoring the Women of Troy 37-22. In 10 of the 14 tournament games, the winning team shot 50% or better in the second half. The final second-half shooting numbers in the 14 games: 51.1%. The winning team also averaged at least 1.000 points per possession in 12 games. Offensive efficiency and production ruled this year’s tournament.
BOX SCORE: UCLA 72, USC 67
• JuJu Watkins can’t do it by herself. She tried. But Watkins struggled to find her shot in the second half, which carried over to her teammates. If some of those shots go down, maybe it’s a different story. Watkins had 29 points but needed 28 field goal attempts and made just nine. She’ll win National Player of the Year honors and will be the first pick in the WNBA Draft after leaving school, but USC won’t win a national championship without more support. The Women of Troy will face high-level competition starting in the Sweet 16 and the Final Four. It’s then Watkins’ teammates must deliver. They’ve done it throughout the season. Maybe USC lost its legs in the second half after playing close games on back-to-back days before Sunday. They have the talent, but they’ll need more contributions from Kiki Iriafen, Talia von Oelhoffen, Raya Marshall and Alexis Howell.
“You've got to make open shots and continue to give them confidence,” USC coach Lindsey Gottlieb said. “We know we're a really good fourth-quarter team typically.
“Of course, it was deflating to miss all those shots and get a little bit ragged in the third quarter. I thought we tried to put the foot on the gas in the fourth and couldn't get to the rim, the free-throw line, or get our shots and knock them down. It happens sometimes.”
3 THINGS TO WATCH
• UCLA and USC are set for No. 1 seeds in the NCAA tournament, but how many Big Ten teams will be selected for the field? Wednesday’s Minnesota-Washington matchup could’ve been a play-in game to see which team earns a spot. The league could send 13 teams, but 12 would be more likely.
“I thought whoever won this game should probably be the overall No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament,” Gottlieb said.
• Just put the USC-UCLA Big Ten title game on repeat. These two teams aren’t going anywhere. They’ll maintain dominance for the next couple of years, maybe longer. Watkins and Betts are coming back. The supporting cast from both teams are expected to return. Get used to seeing this championship game in the foreseeable future, whether in Indianapolis or Las Vegas. Both programs recruit at the highest level. Six freshmen were on USC’s team, and the nation’s No. 3 recruit from the 2025 class is coming. Betts’ sister, Seinna, is joining the Bruins next season. Washington State transfer Charlisse Leger-Walker didn’t play for UCLA but will next season. She’s an All-American. No Big Ten team is poised to challenge the pair unless a program produces a bounty from the portal.
• Can the Bruins and the Women of Troy make it to the Final Four in Tampa? The Big Ten is desperate for another national champion. Purdue is the only program to win it (1999), but others have come close, most recently Iowa. Maybe the fourth meeting between these two programs will be in the national championship, guaranteeing the conference will break the drought.
ATTENDANCE
The tournament returned to Indianapolis for the first time since a seven-year run that ended in 2022. This year’s total attendance (51,799) is the highest for the event staged in Indianapolis, and the average per session (7,399) ranks second to the 2006 tournament (7,728). This year’s tournament featured one more game than other seasons since 15 teams qualified. The announced attendance for Sunday’s championship game was 8,358, the most in Indianapolis since 2006 when Ohio State beat Purdue 63-60.