NCAAB: Hot action in L.A.

[Qbins Missile Crisis]

The Pac-10’s top teams lived up to their seeding and today’s semifinals feature the Top 4 teams in the conference.

Make sure to frequently check the Sportsbook.com odds page for this, and all the Friday tournament games.

USC Trojans vs. UCLA Bruins

The Trojans and Bruins kick off the doubleheader, starting at 9 pm ET. With the Pac-10 tournament played at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, both local teams are expected to get great crowds for this emotionally filled game.

UCLA (29-3, 16-2 Pac-10) is looking to wrap up a number one seed in next week’s NCAA tournament and a victory over USC as 8 ½-point favorites will get them another step closer. The Bruins opened the Pac-10 tourney beating California, 88-66 as 13-point favorites. The Bruins showed why they are so dangerous, with all five starters scoring between nine and 18 points in that game.

USC (21-10, 11-7 Pac-10) is coming off a close 59-55 win over Arizona State yesterday. Sensational freshman O.J. Majo had 23 points, but it wasn’t quite enough to cover the 4 ½-point spread. The Trojans have wrapped up a March Madness berth, but they’re still extremely hungry to win this game.

These teams split the season series with each winning on the other’s homecourt. In the first matchup, USC shocked the Bruins, 72-63 as 12-point dogs. UCLA won the rematch 56-46 as ½-point favorites.

The two big advantages UCLA has in this game are experience and depth. USC starts all freshmen and sophomores and gets very limited point production off the bench. UCLA is led by freshman big man, Kevin Love, but they start three upperclassmen and they have a number of good options off the bench.

Is that advantage enough to cover a big 8 ½-point spread? We’ll find out in just a few hours.

Washington State Cougars vs. Stanford Cardinal

The second half of the doubleheader tips off at 11:30 pm ET and WSU is slim 1 ½-point favorites. It may not have the same hype and excitement of the first game, but it’s still a great contest.

Stanford (25-6, 13-5 Pac-10) is the second seed in this tournament and presents matchup problems with their two seven-footers, Brook and Robin Lopez. Brook is the brother with the All-American portfolio and he showed why yesterday with 20 points in a 75-64 win over Arizona. The Cardinals also covered the spread in that game as 2 ½-point favorites.

Washington State (24-7, 11-7 Pac-10) is a defensive oriented team who surprisingly allowed 70 points to Oregon yesterday in a 75-70 win. WSU was a four-point favorite in that game earning a cover.

Stanford swept the season series, winning 67-65 in overtime on the road as four-point dogs and 60-53 at home as 4 ½-point favorites. The key matchup in this game is once again the Lopez brothers going against Washington State big men, Aron Baynes and Robbie Cowgill.

If it’s another mismatch scoring wise and on the boards, then Stanford should have its third straight win over the Cougars.

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