Could UCLA gain some separation from the USC Trojans in the coming years? The two teams entered Tuesday’s matchup with identical 18-9 records but the Bruins looked like a better team and the scoreboard showed the same, with UCLA getting an 81-62 win.
UCLA has flexed their muscles on Eric Musselman
UCLA owns a three-game winning streak over the Trojans, with a chance to push it to four games when the Bruins visit the Galen Center for the regular season finale. Since USC head coach Eric Musselman took over, he’s yet to beat UCLA, with the Bruins enjoying a couple of lopsided victories since Musselman joined USC.
The Bruins have struggled the past two years, except against USC
Things haven’t been too easy for Mick Cronin and the Bruins the past two years but they’ve performed well against the Trojans. Even with USC losing by 19 points, Musselman was able to appreciate the environment at Pauley Pavilion.
“It was an awesome crowd. Student section was great. It’s a great environment to play,” Musselman said postgame. “We got our butts kicked.”
Could Rodney Rice be the difference?
Would things have gone differently if Trojan guard Rodney Rice hadn’t been out? Rice is out for the season with a shoulder injury but was averaging 20.3 points per game before getting hurt.
What would UCLA look like without Donovan Dent?
“I haven’t really talked about it in a long time but not having Rodney Rice’s shooting is killing us. It kills our spacing,” Musselman said. “As my wife said, take a 20 point scorer off any team and see what they do. Take Dent off of them and see what they do.”
Bad news for USC: Donovan Dent is playing
We saw Dent drop 30 on the Trojans on Tuesday, as Musselman and USC dared Dent to take jumpshots, which Dent did, going 5-6 from three. If UCLA isn’t going to be a title contender, beating USC is a good consolation.
This article originally appeared on UCLA Wire: UCLA beats USC coach Eric Musselman for a third straight time
Reporting by Dylan McNeill, UCLA Wire / UCLA Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
