Trojans Fall To Bruins But Gap Is Closing

The Men of Troy were officially eliminated from the Pac 10 tournament, and of all people to send them packing, it was the hated Bruins. The 57-54 victory launches UCLA into the conference title game to face Stanford. But have no worries, because the Trojans will be dancing next week. Other Pac 10 brethren, such as Arizona State, Arizona, and Oregon are sitting on the bubble, but USC is a solid entry, and should receive a decent seeding.

Watching the Trojans perform this year against the Bruins shows that the gap between the two basketball programs is closing. UCLA finishes 2-1 against USC this season, but the Trojans are far from the crosstown punching bag they were in years past. USC gave one of the nation's best teams 3 hard fought battles. The Bruins never spent a week outside the nation's top 10, and the Trojans never reached that plateau. But still, if the 3 games are a projection of Trojan performance against tournament strength, you have to love our chances. There's always the possibility that these rivals can meet again in the NCAA tournament, and what better place for the Trojans to make a statement than on the larger stage.