Pauley Pavilion is quiet for now. Kiki Rice looks at the empty stands after a recent practice. The UCLA guard knows this scene won’t last long with crosstown rival USC coming in 30 hours.
“To play a game where it’s going to be packed in here, it’s going to be sold out, the noise, the environment, I’m really excited,” Rice said Friday. “I think that’s really what I came to UCLA to be a part of.”
The Pac-12 opener for No. 2 UCLA and No. 6 USC is shaping up to be one of the best games in the long rivalry.