Just 11 days ago, the Bruins captured the first round of the crosstown rivalry.

And less than two weeks later, both teams will finish out the 2025-26 campaign with the second leg.

But this time, the Trojans’ roster will look vastly different.

Even if just one player is gone.

UCLA men’s basketball (20-10, 12-7 Big Ten) will face USC (18-12, 7-12) Saturday evening at Galen Center for its last regular-season contest of the season. Guard/forward Chad Baker-Mazara – the Trojans’ leading scorer – will not play against the Bruins after being dismissed from the team March 1.

Baker-Mazara’s absence comes as a particular blow to a Trojan squad fighting to get into the NCAA tournament. The guard/forward was averaging 18.5 points and 4.2 rebounds per game alongside 38.1% shooting from beyond the arc, having lit up the Bruins in the first clash with 25 points and eight rebounds, including a 5-for-9 clip from beyond the arc.

Even though the Trojans lost a significant part of their offense, senior guard Skyy Clark said the team is not changing its rhythm.

“Same thing last game, just minus a player,” Clark said when asked what the team’s scouting report was without Baker-Mazara.

With Baker-Mazara gone, the weight of running the USC offense falls in the hands of forward Ezra Ausar and guard Alijah Arenas – a duo that is averaging 15 and 14.3 points per game, respectively, heading into the Saturday evening affair.

“I’m sure Alijah Arenas has got to be more aggressive for them, with their current lineup, to generate offense,” said coach Mick Cronin.

While Ausar was limited in the Bruins’ and Trojans’ first duel – scoring six points on 3-for-9 shooting from the field – he is one of the most proficient players in the nation on getting to the charity stripe, ranking No. 19 in the country in free throw attempts.

And after failing to get to the line Feb. 24, Ausar may emphasize drawing contact when he encounters senior forward Tyler Bilodeau on Saturday evening.

“He’s a really good player – strong, athletic, really good around the rim,” Bilodeau said. “I just have to stay solid, stay in front of him, do whatever I can. Year after year, (I’m) getting stronger, more athletic, that sort of thing. Learning the game, too, helps.”

For the Bruins, Donovan Dent may have the opportunity to build off his historic performance against USC from the rivals’ first battle.

On Feb. 24, the senior guard dropped a season-high 30 points, eight assists and a career-high five 3-pointers. Dent has dropped 46 assists to just two turnovers over his last four games, and he could continue his hot-handed passing streak come Saturday with a depleted Trojan roster.

“He’s become a better player,” Cronin said. “His defense has improved, and his assist-to-turnover is unbelievable. I’ve challenged him to grow up in every way he can grow up. Try to impact him while I have him, and he’s done it, so I give him credit. He’s done it. That, and I think he’s afraid to turn it over.”

Outside of Ausar, Eric Dailey Jr. may be the Bruin who is looking for a bounceback game at Galen Center.

The junior guard/forward scored just one point on 0-for-4 shooting from the field through 18 minutes of game action – a stark contrast from the 25 points on 10-for-13 shooting he dropped against USC in Westwood last year.

But regardless of Dailey’s impact on the court, he affects the game in other ways.

“E Day (Dailey Jr.) has been a big piece for us the last two years, especially this year,” Clark said. “He’s really like our vocal piece, and that gets us going with the energy and everything, so having him on the team – it’s infectious, for sure.”

Collectively, the Bruins will look to uphold the defensive tenacity they displayed against No. 9 Nebraska on Tuesday, limiting the Cornhuskers to just 52 points.

The Bruins’ defense has been inconsistent all year, and Cronin said after the Nebraska game that Tuesday night was their best showing of the season, just three days after their worst performance of the year against Minnesota.

“They were happy to see that we were fighting,” Clark said. “Everyone looked locked in. Everybody was in a stance. We were getting deflections. We were talking on defense. And as a coach, there’s not much you can ask for.”