NCAAW: Is No. 1 UCLA or No. 4 USC the Big Ten’s best team?

rewrite this content and keep HTML tags

We are smack dab in the middle of the Big Ten season and one thing has become clear: UCLA and USC have adjusted well to their new conference.

With both LA powerhouses dominating, it seems likely that their matchup on Feb. 13 will be the first time one of them will take a defeat in Big Ten play. However, some basketball is still left before that pre-Valentine’s date, so now is a good time to explain how both teams are doing ahead of this matchup.

UCLA is the team to beat

While both teams are great, UCLA is the top team. They are undefeated, ranked as the No. 1 team in the country and have done what was once viewed as the impossible: defeating South Carolina.

Until someone bests them, the Bruins will remain the favorite in any game they play, and that might even include when they face the Trojans at the Galen Center.

You don’t become a No. 1 team due to one player, but Lauren Betts is clearly a big reason why the Bruins are so good this season. She’s averaging 21 points and 9.9 rebounds per game and essentially has a mismatch in every contest.

UCLA focuses on getting her touches and establishing her early and often, which results in early leads and blowout victories. On the perimeter, guards Kiki Rice and Gabriela Jaquez have shined in their roles. Both are scoring in double figures, and Rice leads the team in assists, averaging 4.6 per game.

They have upcoming games against Minnesota (Feb. 2), No. 8 Ohio State (Feb. 5), and Oregon (Feb. 9) before they play USC, but given their quality of play, they should extend their winning streak to 23 games and remain unbeaten when they travel to USC in a couple of weeks.

JuJu Watkins is one of one

While UCLA has Betts, USC relies on Watkins to take them to heights they haven’t reached in decades. Simply put, Watkins is a generational talent and as a sophomore, one can argue she is the best player in the country.

Watkins is averaging 24.6 points per game, which is the third-highest in the nation and is also grabbing 6.8 rebounds and dishing out 3.7 assists per night.

Stanford transfer Kiki Iriafen has gotten increasingly more comfortable as a Trojan and is now averaging 18.1 points and 8.4 rebounds per game. The Trojans have coasted through the conference with this dynamic duo clicking on all cylinders. They play Iowa (Feb. 2), Wisconsin (Feb. 5) and No. 8 Ohio State (Feb. 8) next, but similar to UCLA, they should be able to win against this trio of opponents and enter the matchup against UCLA with a chance to prove that they deserve the number one spot.

Time to take care of B1G business

Before that excitement happens, both teams have to take care of business.

UCLA plays Minnesota next. The Gophers have struggled in Big Ten action, going 4-6 in conference play. While an upset is hard to imagine, the path to victory involves their guards catching fire from deep and overwhelming the Bruins.

Next up for USC is Iowa, which is transitioning to life without Caitlin Clark by leaning on Lucy Olsen’s abilities. She is not filling Clark’s shoes; instead, she is blazing her own trail. Olsen is averaging 15.8 points per game and also logging the most minutes per game at 33.1. However, a career afternoon will have to occur for the Hawkeyes to upset the Trojans.