INDIANAPOLIS — UCLA center Lauren Betts and her teammates used a five-day break to dissect their flaws, make a few fixes and recommit themselves to beating No. 2 USC — if they earned that chance at the Big Ten Tournament.
Now it’s all set.
The conference’s top two regular-season teams and Los Angeles rivals will meet in yet another winner-takes-all contest Sunday in what could be one of the top women’s basketball games of the season.
“A lot has to be different,” Betts said when asked about the title game following Saturday’s 75-46 rout of No. 13 Ohio State. “Obviously, we felt really badly about how we played them the last time and how we showed up and we don’t ever want to feel like that again.”
Round 3 of this series certainly has a familiar plot and some storybook twists.
The two longtime Pac-12 foes spent their first Big Ten season fighting for pride and position — and, yes, a whole lot more.
USC (28-2) swept the regular-season series from UCLA (29-2), moving up to No. 2 in the AP Top 25 ranking after clinching the regular-season title last week with a win at Pauley Pavillion. It’s the Trojans highest ranking in nearly four decades and only made it appear more likely they could win their first national title since Cheryl Miller led them to back-to-back championships in the 1980s.
UCLA beat everyone it played — except the Trojans, suffering a 71-60 loss at USC in mid-February before losing 80-67 at home in prime time on March 1. The Bruins were ranked No. 1 until their first loss and were No. 2 when USC beat them again.
Now, the teams are squaring off one more time and perhaps not the last time this season, with UCLA eager for another shot and USC playing it a little more cautiously.
“The answer to that question is no,” Trojans coach Linsday Gottlieb said with a chuckle as she cut off two players who were asked for their preference of opponent before the second semifinal game started.
It’s not just the tale of the tape either.
All-America guard JuJu Watkins, the Big Ten Player of the Year, leads a USC contingent that has won nine straight and survived everything from illness to foul trouble to two less-than-stellar wins in Indy.
The Trojans could be at full strength, though, after forward Rayah Marshall returned to action Saturday. She scored nine points and had three rebounds in the 82-70 victory over fifth-seeded Michigan after missing Friday’s quarterfinal because she was sick.
But the Trojans have not been as sharp through their first two Big Ten Tournament games, something they know must change Sunday.
“I think our players are insanely competitive and they do have a will to win,” Gottlieb said. “With JuJu and Kiki (Iriafen) in particular, it’s not just their talent. They just have a fierce kind of competitive will about them and they go ahead and make plays that you really can’t script.”
Those two have been the difference through two games, combining for 45 points and 22 rebounds Saturday, with both posting consecutive double-doubles.
The Bruins have dug in this week too.
Betts, the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, had 12 points and six rebounds in 24 minutes Saturday after dominating Friday’s victory over Nebraska with 28 points, 13 rebounds, seven blocks and five assists
Plus, she’s getting plenty of help now from teammates such as Gabriela Jaquez, and after Saturday’s blowout, the confident and motivated Bruins may be more rested for their third game in three days.
And Sunday’s result could even swing the national player of the year conversation. It’s all at stake.
“There are so many levels to this,” UCLA coach Cori Close said. “Obviously those are our only two losses. Obviously they are our crosstown rival. Obviously this is for a conference tournament championship.
“But if you’re a real competitor, you want to be tested against the very best and you want to have opportunities to conquer your previous adversities. That’s exactly what we’re getting. It forces you to dig deep and find new levels of growth.”
Big Ten Tournament
Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis
Wednesday’s games
(12) Washington 79, (13) Minnesota 65
(10) Nebraska 84, (15) Rutgers 60
(11) Iowa 81, (14) Wisconsin 54
Thursday’s games
(9) Indiana 78, (8) Oregon 62
(5) Michigan 66, (12) Washington 58
(10) Nebraska 74, (7) Illinois 70
(11) Iowa 74, (6) Michigan State 61
Friday’s quarterfinals
(1) USC 84, (9) Indiana 79
(5) Michigan 98, (4) Maryland 71
(2) UCLA 85, (10) Nebraska 74
(3) Ohio State 60, (11) Iowa 59
Saturday’s semifinals
(1) USC 72, (5) Michigan 60
(2) UCLA 75, (3) Ohio State 46
Sunday’s final
(1) USC vs. (2) UCLA, 3:30 p.m., CBS-2
