USC, UCLA have busy days, something to smile about

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Wednesday was a hectic day in Los Angeles, as Chris Dufresne explains in today’s column. USC and UCLA went head to head on the basketball court and on the football recruiting trail.

The Bruins surprised a lot of people with some late football signees and a nationally respected class. Rick Neuhesiel explained to us how this group meets his needs at key position groups and also what it’s like for players to commit, decommit and recommit.

The Trojans, as usual, signed one of the best classes in the nation and assured fans that they will be a force for years to come. This morning, they announced another big signee, defensive back Jawanza Starling from Lincoln High School in Tallahassee, Fla. We’ll have more on this small (18 players) but impressive (highest average player ranking in the nation) class in another post later today.

In hoops, USC came into Pauley Pavilion as arguably the hottest team in the Pac-10. By halftime, UCLA had them cooked. In fact, the Bruins have blown out their past three opponents and are looking to regain Final Four form. They beat the Trojans, 76-60 in a game that put them on top of the conference standings. Afterward, Coach Ben Howland explained just what’s going on in Westwood:

USC is doing well in football. UCLA is doing well in basketball. Los Angeles is at equilibrium.

UPDATE: We just added a USC playlist and UCLA playlist to our YouTube channel. Check them out for more video on the Trojans and Bruins.

-- Adam Rose