shared candid thoughts about what had happened in the game and in the days surrounding it. The air had to be cleared before the Bruins’ first Big Ten Conference game today.

Players spoke honestly about what they were seeing in themselves as well as in others.

“It was tough conversations,” Rice said. “We wanted to really focus on not holding back and saying everything we needed to say to each other and knowing that we’re doing it because we want to win, not because there’s bad meaning behind it.”

Rice, who was named All-Big Ten first team along with center Lauren Betts, sensed renewed energy in the proceeding practice and a new commitment to team goals. The closeness of the team had allowed for difficult exchanges to happen without hurt feelings.

“We have a really good relationship off the court,” Betts said. “That helps, knowing that you’re always going to have a friend regardless of what we say to them. And at the same time, we all want to win. At this point, it’s March, and you don’t really have time for feelings. We have to win games.”

UCLA (27-2) is the No. 2 seed in the Big Ten women’s basketball tournament — behind top-seeded USC — and earned a double-bye when it became the conference’s regular season runner-up Saturday.

The Bruins will play 10th-seeded Nebraska — a 74-70 winner over seventh-seeded Illinois — today at 3:30 p.m. PST at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

UCLA and USC, which has handed the Bruins their only losses of the season, are on opposite sides of the bracket, meaning that there is a chance for a rivalry rematch in the championship game Sunday.

“I’d love to get another matchup against them,” Rice said. “They’re a great team and we still have a lot to prove.”

The time since Saturday’s loss to USC has been unkind, but not without lessons. UCLA coach Cori Close, who has also been vocal about getting a rematch with the Trojans, is reassured by her team’s behavior this week.

“They said the hard things, confronted each other,” she said. “And there was a real turning point. That’s something we’ve been begging them to do all year long. I’m much better because I’ve seen their leadership and their ownership of what happened.”

USC PREPS FOR INDIANA

The USC women’s basketball team has gained confidence and grown from handing UCLA its only two losses of the season — the latter of which earned it the Big Ten Conference regular-season title.

That fact is still on the Bruins’ minds, but USC is living in the present now that it has arrived in Indianapolis as the top seed for the Big Ten Conference Tournament.

“That (accomplishment) should be part of who we are, but it doesn’t give us any points,” Trojans head coach Lindsay Gottlieb told reporters Thursday. “We’re trying to win — and it’s unique to win three games in three days. We’re locked in on that challenge.”

The Trojans face ninth-seeded Indiana today, and will have to win three games in a row in order to take home a second conference trophy Sunday.

Second-seeded UCLA is on the opposite side of the bracket, making a third rivalry game of the season a realistic possibility.

“I don’t think it’s hard to keep them from looking ahead,” Gottlieb said of her players, “and the reason for that is we’ve talked about whether we play Indiana or Oregon, that is like a second round and NCAA Tournament game. In this league, if you’re an eight, nine seed — shoot, if you’re a 10, 11 seed in our conference — you’re probably an eight, nine seed in the NCAA Tournament.”

Five Big Ten teams are currently ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 poll, proving the intensity of the conference. USC is the highest-ranked Big Ten team at No. 2 and took home multiple all-conference honors.

Juju Watkins was named Player of the Year and Gottlieb is Coach of the Year. Watkins and Kiki Iriafen are first-team selections while Rayah Marshall and Kennedy Smith earned second-team recognition.

The success against Big Ten opponents as well as the travel schedule have USC feeling prepared for a strong Big Ten Tournament appearance as well as a lengthy NCAA Tournament run.

“A lot of these teams could be second-round games,” Iriafen said. “In the Big Ten, you can see so many different things and just speaking for myself and my position, sometimes I’m guarding a more post-y post and then other games guarding a guard who’s just really playing the four. It’s a different defensive matchup every single night. The Big Ten keeps you on your toes.”

USC beat Indiana 73-66 on Jan. 19. The Trojans fell behind early but gained a six-point advantage at halftime before putting together a 12-0 scoring run in the fourth quarter to seal the win.

Four starters — Watkins, Iriafen, Smith and Marshall — scored in double figures and Talia von Oelhoffen added 10 points off the bench.

“We built a lead and then we lost the lead because we put them at the free-throw line,” Indiana coach Teri Moren said of USC on Thursday. “We tell our kids after every opponent: They don’t need your help. So quit fouling them, quit putting them at the free-throw line, make them earn everything. It’s another shot at one of the best teams in the country and one of the best players in the country. It’s going to take our very best.”