LOS ANGELES – Since Steve Alford and Andy Enfield took over at UCLA and USC, beginning with the 2013-14 season, the hardwood edition of the crosstown rivalry has been especially one-sided.
The Bruins won the first five meetings during those first two seasons, and did so handily, by an average margin of 20 points, even as a brash Enfield boldly talked about playing fast and scoring quickly at a pace that could excite even casual fans in the city.
Entering their latest clash Wednesday night at Pauley Pavilion, UCLA had won 10 of the last 11 meetings, but the Trojans also looked like they were amid their own resurgence, off to their best start in more than a decade and surging after toppling then-No.