UCLA vs USC on Valentine's Day

Photo credit: espn.com

USC vs UCLA Basketball
FoxSports
Updated February 11, 2010

The Pac-10 pits two of its hated rivals against each other on 2010’s day of love.

The UCLA Bruins will travel the short distance to the Galen Center to visit their rival USC Trojans on Valentine's Day evening. The Bruins (11-12, 6-5) are winners of four of their last six games in what has been a disappointing campaign overall. UCLA, who had dropped five non-conference games in a row earlier this season, have continued their inconsistent performances in Pac-10 play. Last week they hosted the Bay Area schools and defeated a determined Stanford team on Thursday, before losing to the conference leading Golden Bears by 14 on Saturday.


The Bruins have five players averaging double figures in points, with two of their three seniors among them. Nikola Dragovic, a role player on prior UCLA Final Four teams, adds almost five rebounds a game to his 11.5 points per game. Michael Roll has led the team in points from his guard position, and has been especially productive from behind the arc; shooting 44.5% from three point range this season.


USC (14-9, 6-5) will hope to complete the season sweep over the Bruins following their emotional 67-46 victory at Pauley Pavilion on January 16th. The Trojans have not been eligible for NCAA or Pac-10 tournament play since they enforced such a punishment upon themselves on January 3rd, 2010. Head coach Kevin O'Neill has kept his team grounded over this past month though, and has coached them to a 5-5 record since the announcement.


Despite their off-court problems, USC has proved itself a tough match for every team in the Pac-10. Behind their senior leadership of Dwight Lewis, Mike Gerrity, and Marcus Johnson, the Trojans will look to sweep the Bruins for the first time since they completed the feat in 2004.


Join us on Sunday at 10:00pm ET on FCS Pacific to see who will earn Los Angeles' bragging rights.
___________

Bruins look for revenge

After getting trounced at Pauley, UCLA will try to get even at Galen Center.

By Chris Foster
The Los Angeles Times
February 10, 2010

Words rarely uttered by a UCLA basketball player, at least when discussing USC:

"We're going to try to show that we can play with them," UCLA freshman Tyler Honeycutt said Tuesday, a statement that might make those 11 national championship banners -- 10 of which are more than 30 years old -- fade a bit more.

Then again, USC did rout UCLA, 67-46, at Pauley Pavilion last month -- the Bruins' worst loss to the Trojans since 1945.

Heading into their rivalry renewal Sunday at the Galen Center, the teams are part of a five-way tie for second place in the Pacific 10 Conference, though neither is in position to be considered for an NCAA tournament at-large berth.

USC, 14-9 overall, 6-5 in conference play, is out because of self-imposed sanctions.

UCLA would be out because of self-inflicted wounds, a 72-58 loss to California last Saturday the most recent bobble in an 11-12, 6-5 season.

USC has swept a season series from UCLA only four times since 1942. The Bruins have never lost to the Trojans in three meetings at the Galen Center.

"I know their goal is try to win the regular season Pac-10 championship, because they're not going to play in the Pac-10 tournament," UCLA Coach Ben Howland said.

UCLA's goal is a little more personal.

"We owe them," forward James Keefe said of USC. "They came over here and embarrassed us on our home floor. It's our turn."

Nelson to play

Freshman forward Reeves Nelson, the Bruins' best inside player, is expected to play Sunday after suffering a concussion against California.

"I feel a lot better," said Nelson, who was cleared to participate in non-contact drills Tuesday. "All my symptoms pretty much went away halfway through the Super Bowl on Sunday. I feel pretty normal."

Nelson was injured when he collided with Markhuri Sanders-Frison, California's 6-foot-8, 275-pound reserve center, early in the game.

"We were talking that we both felt really dizzy, but we were going to stay in the game," Nelson said.

"That's my first concussion. I was really weirded out by it."