Galentine’s Day brings an absolutely massive slate of women’s college basketball on Peacock, starting off with the Minnesota Golden Gophers against the No. 9 Ohio State Buckeyes at 7:30pm ET. Then it’s the Saint Joseph’s Hawks against the Richmond Spiders at 8pm ET before one of the biggest game of the seasons at 10pm ET: a California Showdown between the top-ranked team in the country, the UCLA Bruins, and the No. 6 USC Trojans.
Wednesday’s game marks the first of two meetings between the Bruins and the Trojans this season. While UCLA is 8-2 across their last 10 matchups, USC has won both of the last two. Their second meeting will be the final game of the season for both teams, set for March 1st. This game also marks the first matchup between USC and UCLA where either of them is the top-ranked team in the nation.
Both teams are expected to be serious title contenders when March Madness rolls around, and though both are new additions to the conference, either has the chance to become the first Big Ten team to win the NCAA women’s basketball championship since Purdue did so in 1999, ending a 25-year drought.
UCLA enters this matchup undefeated, 23-0 overall and 11-0 in the Big Ten, with the distinction of being the only undefeated DI team in the nation, men’s or women’s. They’re the top team in the nation and the top team in the conference, with a half-game lead ahead of USC in the Big Ten standings (USC is 21-2 overall, 11-1 in the Big Ten).
UCLA is coming off a big win over Oregon their last time out, defeating the Ducks 62-52 to keep their undefeated record. The Bruins were powered offensively by a season-high 21 points from Londynn Jones. UCLA held Oregon to just 26.6% shooting from the field and 11.8% (2 for 17) from beyond the arc, and tallied 9 blocks in the game, tying their season high.
“I work on these shots daily, and shoutout to my team for getting me those looks,” Jones said of her big performance. “It’s just focusing on the defense, as guards we have to read the defense, and that’s a part of the game.”
READ MORE: No. 2 Notre Dame women have best ranking in six years behind UCLA, South Carolina drops to fourth
USC has bounced back from an upset loss to Iowa (on Caitlin Clark’s jersey retirement night) with a vengeance, defeating both Wisconsin and No. 8 Ohio State in blowout fashion. That win over the Buckeyes was USC’s third win over a ranked opponent this season, and featured three Trojans recording double-doubles: senior F Kiki Ifriafen, freshman G Kennedy Smith, and sophomore G JuJu Watkins.
While Watkins is one of the biggest stars across college basketball, she’s struggled with efficiency in recent games. While she still leads the Big Ten in scoring with 23.9 points per game, she’s fallen to fifth in the nation in the scoring after holding the top spot for much of the season. Across her last four games, Watkins is averaging 19.5 points and shooting 30.8% from the field, and has not shot better than 40% in any game during that stretch.
“I don’t think we were in a position last year where we could win games without her scoring as much as she had to score,” USC head coach Lindsey Gottlieb said of the team continuing to thrive despite Watkins’ recent struggles. “But obviously we’re built a little differently this year.”
For full information on how to watch tonight’s game, including start time, streaming info, and the full college basketball slate across Peacock, see below.
READ MORE: Kennedy Smith emerging as X-factor for formidable USC squad
How to Watch UCLA vs USC Women’s Basketball
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Date: Thursday, February 13th
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Time: 10pm ET
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Location: Galen Center (Los Angeles, CA)
Full Women’s College Basketball Schedule Tonight on Peacock
Big Ten women’s Bracketology: Can USC knock UCLA off its perch?
How to Watch College Basketball on Peacock
You can watch Big Ten basketball games by first subscribing to Peacock. Then, either go to PeacockTV.com/Sports in your web browser or download the Peacock app on your phone, tablet, or streaming device and navigate to the Sports section. Find the LIVE game you want to watch and start streaming.
Stay in, stay comfy, and stay entertained — Peacock for just $29.99 is all you need. Eligibility restrictions and terms apply to this limited time offer. Click here to learn more. The sale ends Tuesday, February 18th.
