California @ Southern California preview

Last Meeting ( Feb 16, 2019 ) Southern California 89, California 66

California and USC head into Thursday night's contest tied in third place in the Pac-12 and coming off marquee wins Saturday. The Bears, who enter following a surprising weekend sweep of the Washington schools, will be trying for their first win over USC since Jan. 8, 2017 when they upset the then 25th-ranked Trojans, 74-73, at the Galen Center.

USC, behind a double-double (17 points, 14 rebounds) by senior forward Nick Rakocevic, bounced back from an ugly 72-40 loss at Washington to knock off crosstown rival UCLA, 74-63, at Pauley Pavilion, the team's first win in Westwood since 2015-16. "I really wanted this (win) bad," Rakocevic said. "This game, being a rivalry game, and me not being from here ... I'm from Chicago, but it was really important to me to get this win." Cal meanwhile ended a four-game losing streak and a stretch of just two wins over 10 games with back-to-back wins over Washington State (73-66) and Washington (61-58 in overtime) in Berkeley. "It's as pretty as a sunset that you wish you could watch for 30 minutes," Bears coach Mark Fox told bearinsider.com after sophomore guard Matt Bradley banked in the game-winning 3-pointer with seven seconds left in OT. "But it happens in two seconds. It's a thing of beauty, you know, and as much as he's worked and as much as he's bought in, he deserved that thing to go in."

TIME: 10:30 p.m. ET. TV: Pac-12 Network.

ABOUT CALIFORNIA (8-8, 2-1 Pac-12): Bradley, who averaged 21.5 points on 53 percent shooting along with 7.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists in the weekend sweep, was named the Pac-12's Player of the Week for his performances. Cal held Washington to 29.5 percent shooting (18-of-61) from the field while also outrebounding the Huskies, 44-38, and held the visitors without a field goal over the final 4:08 of overtime. Bradley, who has reached double figures in all but one game this season, leads the team in scoring (17.7 points per game) while shooting 36.7 percent from 3-point range while guard Kareem South (10.2 points) also is averaging in double digits with forward Grant Anticevich, who is shooting 47.5 percent behind the arc (19-of-40), pulling down a team-best 5.8 rebounds while also averaging 9.3 points.

ABOUT USC (13-3, 2-1): Senior guard Jonah Mathews added 16 points and freshman point guard Ethan Anderson, the reigning L.A. City Section Player of the Year, scored a career-high 14 points to go with five rebounds and three assists as the Trojans shot 69.6 percent in the second half, including 5-of-8 3-pointers, to pull away from the Bruins. "Our players really moved the ball well and we took some great shots," said Trojan coach Andy Enfield. "This is a big win for us. They are an exceptionally talented team, they have great size." Freshman forward Onyeka Okongwu leads the team in scoring (16.9) while Mathews (12.0) and Rakocevic (11.8) also are averaging in double figures with Rakocevic also grabbing a team-best 9.0 rebounds per game.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Cal leads the series with USC, 136-127, but the Trojans have won the last four in a row including a 82-73 win at the Galen Center last season.

2. USC is 10-0 this season when holding opponents to fewer than 70 points and is 63-2 in its last 65 games when holding the opposition to 69 points or fewer.

3. Bradley leads the Pac-12 in free throw percentage (.860).

PREDICTION: USC 74, Cal 66