UCLA Basketball: 5 Things to Watch for Against USC

On Wednesday, the UCLA Bruins will participate in a crosstown showdown with their rival, the Southern Cal Trojans.

Coming off of a loss to California over the weekend, the Bruins look to bounce back and continue their steady climb up the Pac-12 standings.

For the Trojans, they hope to salvage their horrible year with a win against their crosstown foe.

Currently, the Bruins sit at 14-11 overall, with a 7-6 record in conference play. The Trojans are 6-19 with a 1-11 conference record.

Let's take a look at five things to watch out for in the contest... 

The Play of Josh Smith

If UCLA is to make a run at postseason play, the catalyst will have to be Josh Smith.

Truth be told, the big man will have to lose upwards of 50 pounds if he is to realize his vast potential.

But for the time being, he needs to demonstrate a consistent motor in every contest, not just in a select few games.

When Smith is on, he's incredibly hard to guard. His immense girth make it almost impossible for any post player to guard him. The center also has a great set of hands, which allows for his soft touch around the rim. 

However, when the Washington native is bad, he's really bad. Conditioning has always been a struggle, and opposing teams look to run against UCLA because they're cognizant of the fact that Smith can't sustain high amounts of energy for long periods of time.

In addition, Smith has difficultly moving his feet, which results in him picking up countless fouls reaching lazily. He also has the propensity to commit charges quite frequently.

Against a thin USC front court, UCLA should look to establish Smith early and often. If he can stay out of early foul trouble (which has plagued him), look for Smith to have a big game. 

Rebounding from a Tough Loss

The Bruins suffered a tough loss on Saturday, as they lost to the California Golden Bears by a score of 73-63. 

This loss stung a great deal for coach Ben Howland's squad. UCLA had accumulated good momentum heading into the conference-tilt and looked to continue their push up the conference ladder. Previous to the Cal game, they were 4-1 in their last five conference contests.

In addition, their home record in conference play was 6-0 before the defeat to Cal. 

Heading into the rivalry game against the Trojans, the Bruins hope to not be suffering from an emotional hangover.

They currently sit in the middle of a convoluted Pac-12 race, but with a win against their hated rival, they will continue to make the climb up the standings. 

Will This Be a Trap Game?

Simply put, this game has all the makings of a proverbial "trap game."

USC currently sits at 6-19, with a 1-11 conference record. In large reason to their porous record is the slew of season-ending injuries which have effectively taken out three would-be starters for the Trojans (Jio Fontan, Aaron Fuller and Dewayne Dedmon).

Nightly, USC only uses six scholarship players, with a walk-on also commanding some play time. 

While the decimated Trojans limp their way into a contest with UCLA, anything can happen in a rivalry game.

Adding fuel to the fire is the fact that after the SC game, UCLA will be embarking on a trip across the country to New York, where they will tip off against St. John's in a non-conference showdown this upcoming Saturday.

There's no doubt the Bruins might be looking ahead to this possible "distraction" and could take the beleaguered Trojans lightly. 

UCLA's Peculiar Big Man Rotation

If you're a UCLA fan, you'd probably agree with the notion that Coach Howland has a serious "man crush" on both David and Travis Wear. No matter how many turnovers or rash decisions the brothers make, they still garner big time minutes, which is questionable, at best. 

I would call the twins solid, but not exceptional players. Essentially, they are complete carbon copies of each other. Travis averages 11.5 points per game, while David tallies 10.1 a contest.

The fundamentally sound duo both have extremely quick-triggers, and don't pass the ball with much frequency. In addition, for both being 6'10" they neither rebound as well as they should, nor do they play with much physicality in the post.

For whatever reason, Howland insists on playing both of them major minutes over a fellow Bruin, Anthony Stover.

While the ultra-long Stover won't look to score, he more than makes up for it on the defensive end of the floor.

He has an awesome wingspan (7'4"), which he uses to negate any oncoming defender looking to drive the lane. Stover also plays with wonderful energy, resembling at times a gazelle as he runs up and down the court.

He also has a knack for helping on the weak side and has just made some opposing players look foolish as he spikes their shots into the third row.

Howland's final four teams were built upon grit, defensive capabilities, and effort. Stover's play resonates with all of those qualities, yet he's only averaging 8.8 minutes a game.

Now I'm not saying that he's a better overall player than the Wear twins are, but he should definitely accumulate more minutes. Against a shallow USC roster, it will be interesting to see the dispersement of minutes in a crowded UCLA front court.

Will the Strong Guard Play Continue?

What was a big question heading into the year has turned into a relative strength for the Bruins.

Guard play has been surprisingly very good for Howland's team. Point guard Lazeric Jones leads the team with 13.8 points per contest, while both Jerime Anderson and Tyler Lamb average 8.8 and 8.7, respectively. 

More than anything, the defensive effort of the trio has picked up in recent weeks. Lamb has taken the role of the "lockdown" defender and often has the assignment of guarding the opposing team's best player.

All three over the recent weeks have displayed extremely active hands. They've also been active in the passing lanes, deflecting numerous passes and just causing havoc for opposing guards.

With the constant application of pressure, it's led to many more turnovers forced and as a result, the opponent's field goal percentage has seen a steady decline in recent weeks.

Against SC, look for the UCLA guards to constantly apply pressure to the Trojan's best player and point guard, Mo Jones.