UCLA routed South Carolina 79-51 at the Mortgage Matchup Center, and the one thing that decided it was defense — the Bruins held the 36-4 Gamecocks to 51 points in a 28-point demolition that was never in doubt.
The 37-1 Bruins made the biggest stage feel like home, suffocating a South Carolina squad that had won 36 games. Every possession felt like running into a wall of powder blue, and the Gamecocks never found a crack.
For UCLA, this is the coronation a one-loss season demanded. For South Carolina, a 36-4 campaign ends in heartbreak — and with the Bruins now the standard everyone chases, the chase starts the moment next season does.
Data via ESPN · Summarized by D1Ball's editorial engine from official statistics.
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