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basketball, Big Dance, Big West Conference, college basketball, Exposition Park, Final Four, Galen Center, March Madness, NCAA Tournament, Pac-12 Conference, Pauley Pavilion, Trojans, UCLA Bruins, UCLA Women's Basketball, University of California Los Angeles, University of Southern California, USC Trojans, USC Women's Basketball, Western Athletic Conference, Westwood, women's college basketball, Women's NCAA Tournament
USC’s Juju Watkins (#12) getting off a shot against UCLA in Pauley Pavilion. Photo courtesy of pac12.com
MY LOOK AT THE COLLEGE HOOPS TEAMS FROM SO CAL THAT WILL BE IN MARCH MADNESS
As far as the Los Angeles area and Southern California is concerned,
This year’s version of March Madness – the NCAA Tournament,
The best thing the sport of basketball has to offer in the views of myself and millions of others,
Is clearly the “Year of the Woman“,
With four of the five teams in the Big Dance who happen to call So Cal home being women’s squads.
It’s incredible that only ONE men’s team will be continuing their season in this tourney!
And it’s neither UCLA nor USC,
But a team that plays their home games roughly forty miles south of those two flagship athletic kingdoms!
Let’s not waste any more time;
Here’s my official preview of the quintet of teams that will be playing for a shot at the Final Four and a national championship, starting with the…
*USC TROJANS (women)
Record: 26-5, 13-5 and tied for second place in the Pac-12 Conference
- PAC-12 TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONS, beating top-seeded Stanford, 74-61, in the finals
- Beat UCLA in two of the three Crosstown Rivalry game played, including an 80-70, double OT win in the Pac-12 Tournament semifinals
- Has won 12 of their last 13 games
Rank: #3 by the Associated Press
Seed: #1 in the Portland 3 Region
First Round Opponent: #16 seed Texas A&M – Corpus Christi, Saturday, March 23rd at the Galen Center
- Would play either Kansas or Michigan in the second round
Coach: Lindsay Gottlieb
Key Players:
- JuJu Watkins, G – 27.0 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 3.7 apg
- McKenzie Forbes, G/F – 13.5 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 3.3 apg
- Rayah Marshall, C/F – 10.2 ppg, 10.5 rpg, 59 blocked shots
- Kayla Padilla, G – 7.9 ppg
*UCLA BRUINS (women)
Record: 25-6, 13-5 and tied for second in the Pac-12 Conference
- Ranked as high as second in the polls this season
- Won their first 15 games, beating ranked teams like Connecticut, Florida State and Ohio State
- Lost to USC in the Pac-12 Tournament semifinals, 80-70, in double OT
Rank: #6 by the Associated Press
Seed: #2 in the Albany 2 Region
First Round Opponent: #15 seed Cal Baptist, Saturday, March 23rd at Pauley Pavilion
- Would play either Creighton or UNLV in the second round
Coach: Cori Close
Key Players:
- Lauren Betts, C – 14.7 ppg, 9.0 rpg, 55 blocked shots
- Charisma Osborne, G – 14.4 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 3.8 apg
- Kiki Rice, G – 12.6 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 4.6 apg
- Londynn Jones, G – 12.1 ppg, 2.0 apg
- Gabriela Jaquez, F – 9.7 ppg, 5.4 rpg
*UC IRVINE ANTEATERS (women)
Record: 23-8, 16-4 and second place in the Big West Conference
- BIG WEST TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONS, beating UC Davis 53-39 on March 16th for the title
- Won 10 of their last 11 games
Rank: None
Seed: #13 in the Portland 4 Region
First Round Opponent: #4 seed Gonzaga, Saturday, March 23rd in Spokane, WA
Coach: Tamara Inoue
Key Players:
- Deja Lee, G – 13.9 ppg, 3.6 rpg
- Moulayana Johnson Sidi-Baba, G – 11.9 ppg, 6.9 rpg
- Nevaeh Parkinson, C – 8.3 ppg, 6.6 rpg
- Diaba Konate, G – 7.6 ppg, 3.7 apg
*CAL BAPTIST LANCERS (women)
Record: 28-3, 18-2 and first place in the Western Athletic Conference
- WAC REGULAR SEASON CHAMPIONS
- WAC TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONS, beating Stephen F. Austin, 75-74, on March 16th
- Undefeated at home (14-0)
- Won their last nine games
- Beat So Cal teams Long Beach State and Cal State Fullerton along with San Diego State
Rank: None
Seed: #15 in the Albany 2 Region
First Round Opponent: #2 seed and 6th ranked UCLA, Saturday, March 23rd, in Pauley Pavilion
Coach: Jarrod Olson
Key Players:
- Chloe Webb, G – 21.1 ppg, 8.1 rpg
- Filipa Barros, G – 12.3 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 4.3 apg
- Grace Schmidt, F – 12.1 ppg, 5.1 rpg
- Khloe Lemon, G – 12.0 ppg, 3.3 rpg
- Kinsley Barrington, F – 10.8 ppg, 5.4 rpg
- Nae Nae Calhoun, G – 6.9 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 4.7 apg
* LONG BEACH STATE “THE BEACH” (men)
Record: 21-14, 10-10 and tied for fifth place in the Big West Conference
- THE ONLY MEN’S TEAM FROM SO CAL IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
- BIG WEST TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONS, beating UC Riverside, #1 seed UC Irvine, and #2 seed UC Davis, 74-70, for the title
- Beat Michigan, 94-86, on November 17th
- Beat USC, 84-79, on December 10th
- Lost their last five games before the Big West Tournament
Rank: None
Seed: #15 in the West Regional
First Round Opponent: #2 seed and 9th ranked Arizona, Thursday, March 21st in Salt Lake City, UT
Coach: Dan Monson
Key Players:
- Marcus Tsohonis, G – 17.8 ppg, 3.2 rpg
- Jadon James, G – 12.2 ppg, 3.3 rpg
- Lassina Traore, F – 12.1 ppg, 10.4 rpg
- Aboubacar Traore, F – 12.0 ppg, 8.3 rpg, 4.5 apg
- AJ George, G – 10.5 ppg, 4.1 rpg
Bruins and Trojans battling in the Pac-12 Tournament semifinals. Photo courtesy of si.com
A player from Long Beach State driving against UCLA a few years ago…
Riverside’s own Cal Baptist Lancers celebrating their 2021 WAC championship…
UCLA and USC getting it on a few years ago…
THOUGHTS & PREDICTIONS…
USC: This is a team that’s not only hot, with one of the best players in the country who is definitely the best freshman player in the country by a large margin,
But also hungry, which is a bigger factor this time of year.
That hunger was clearly shown during the Pac-12 Tournament in their defeat of their crosstown rivals in double overtime in particular, along with another double overtime triumph over Arizona at the end of February.
They’ve certainly shown that they can perform well without their all-universe Supergirl JuJu Watkins,
But does that lead me to see them in the Final Four in Cleveland on April 5th?
My honest answer: no.
While I think they’re capable of giving teams like South Carolina, Iowa, Connecticut and LSU a battle if given the opportunity,
It’s just too hard for me to see them cutting down any nets.
Which leads me to this official prediction for those Women of Troy…
ELITE EIGHT
UCLA: If you asked me what I thought my alma mater’s chances are at postseason glory three months ago, especially after beating ‘SC on the day before New Year’s Eve (which I saw at Pauley Pavilion),
I would have confidently predicted a spot in the Final Four for those Bruins.
However,
As much as I would like to feel the same way now,
It’s difficult to do so due to their pedestrian 10-6 record that they have sported since that blistering 15-0 start.
In fact, those band of Cori Close’s Bruins remind me of former UCLA quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson, known to Bruin Nation as DTR, in the sense that as talented as that team is, they have made too many mistakes at the worst times that have cost them games,
Like their last two outings vs the Trojans, especially their battle in the Pac-12 Tournament.
Which is why while I’m predicting them to make it to the second weekend, assuming they get past the first round in particular (more on that in a bit)
Being that they would be slated to most likely play defending champion LSU in the third round,
For this UCLA team, I’m officially predicting the…
SWEET SIXTEEN
UC IRVINE: A good, solid mid-major team that had a good, solid season.
If those Anteaters’ first tourney game vs the Zags were anywhere other than their home court in Spokane, I would give UCI a chance at pulling off the upset.
But as that first round game is a home affair for Gonzaga,
My prediction for UC Irvine is…
ONE & DONE
CAL BAPTIST: As a UCLA alum, I need to be honest here.
Even though this Lancer team from my early childhood hometown in Riverside is a 15 seed playing a two seed, who happens to be my alma mater, on the Bruins’ hallowed court for the first time ever,
This game concerns me.
For all my fellow Bruins gasping in shock and screaming how crazy I am,
Let me state the reasons why I’m concerned about those Lancers…
- With them winning 28 of their 31 games and not losing on their home court, that Cal Baptist team is no joke
- This upcoming match with one of the storied elite blue-blooded colleges in the nation whose number of national championships is surpassed only by Stanford, who’s also the number one public institution in the country, is an ABSOLUTE GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY OF A LIFETIME for those Lancers
- With so many of their players having very good seasons, Cal Baptist will undoubtedly go into their first round battle with the big, bad Bruins with a mindset of having ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO LOSE – and I’m sure that they’ll play like that.
Which will make those Lancers dangerous as a very large percentage of their students and fans will be in Pauley supporting that team.
While I’m not officially predicting the shocking upset, that does not mean that Cal Baptist should be taken lightly.
At all.
My prediction for the Lancers is ONE & DONE.
But depending on how UCLA comes out against the Lancers, I certainly hope I’m right.
LONG BEACH STATE: I give that program all the respect and props in the world for playing such great basketball in their Big West Tourney and knocking off those three U.C. schools to punch their ticket to the Big Dance,
Especially since they had fired their coach not long before due to their regular season-ending five game losing skid.
As for their chances vs Arizona in Salt Lake, however,
This is a fairly easy thing for me to predict as “The Beach” will most likely not be able to hang with those ninth-ranked, second-seeded big boys from Tucson.
Official prediction: ONE & DONE
UCLA’s Charisma Osborne (#20) being hyped during the season’s first Crosstown Rivalry Clash vs USC. Photo courtesy of dailynews.com