By Swimming World Staff
UCLA’s Repeat Bid, USC’s Spoiler Role and a Loaded Final Four
The 2025 NCAA Men’s Water Polo Championship at Stanford has turned into a dream bracket for fans.
Defending champion UCLA is two wins away from going back-to-back. USC looks perfectly positioned to play spoiler.
Host Stanford brings home-pool advantage and a balanced attack, while Fordham is chasing history as the first
non-California program to break through for the title.
Championship Schedule & Streaming
The 2025 NCAA Men’s Water Polo Championship runs from through Sunday, December 7 streaming on NCAA.com
- Saturday, Dec. 6 – Semifinals (NCAA.com) 2 p.m. PT – USC vs. Fordham 4p.m. PT UCLA vs. Stanford
- Sunday, Dec. 7 – Championship (ESPNU)
3:00 p.m. PT – NCAA Men’s Water Polo Championship Game (ESPNU & ESPN App)
Opening day at Avery Aquatic Center went to form
USC rolled past Concordia–Irvine, Fordham outlasted San Jose State, UCLA controlled Princeton and Stanford handled UC Davis.
Those results set up a blockbuster semifinal slate —
USC vs. Fordham and UCLA vs. Stanford — with Sunday’s national championship on the line.
Game 1: USC 16, Concordia–Irvine 6
UC Davis Senior Adam Ting guarding vs Stanford Water Polo
Top-seeded USC opened its tournament with the kind of performance you expect from a No. 1 seed.
The Trojans briefly trailed 3–2 early, then clamped down defensively and exploded in transition on the way
to a 16–6 win over Concordia–Irvine in the first game of the day.
USC spread the scoring across its lineup, with multiple players finding the net and the Trojans’ centers
drawing key exclusions that fueled the power-play game. Concordia — making its first NCAA appearance —
showed its quality by jumping in front early, but once USC’s press tightened and the counterattack
got rolling, the top seed never looked back.
The opening-round rout sent a clear message to the rest of the field: if someone is going to stop a
UCLA–USC showdown on Sunday, they’re going to have to slow a Trojan offense that can attack in waves
and a defense that only gets stingier as the game wears on.
Game 2: Fordham 13, San Jose State 9
If USC represents the traditional power, Fordham is the modern disruptor.
The Rams continued their historic rise with a 13–9 win over San Jose State, advancing to the NCAA semifinals
for the second straight year and securing back-to-back top-three finishes for a non-California program.
Fordham fell behind 3–1 early but responded with three straight goals to lead 4–3 after the first quarter
and never trailed again. The Rams’ veteran core — led by standout scorers and a steady presence in goal —
controlled the game’s key moments, including a pivotal defensive stand on a six-on-four and a series of
fourth-quarter goals that finally put the Spartans away.
San Jose State fought back to within 11–9 late, showing the same resilience that carried the Spartans
through the regular season. But Fordham’s composure and balanced scoring proved decisive, sending the Rams
into a semifinal clash with USC and giving the national bracket a true East Coast threat.
Game 3: UCLA 15, Princeton 11
Defending champion UCLA began its repeat quest with a 15–11 win over Princeton that felt comfortable
from the opening sprint. The Bruins bolted to a 5–1 lead after one quarter and used their depth to
manage the game the rest of the way.
UCLA showcased an attack that can score from everywhere in the pool — on the perimeter, at center and in transition.
Multiple Bruins finished with multi-goal games, and the reigning champs’ extra-man efficiency kept
Princeton chasing on the scoreboard throughout.
Princeton, making its fifth straight NCAA appearance, mounted a push in the second half and finished
with a balanced scoring line of its own. But UCLA’s early surge and experience in high-pressure NCAA games
made the difference. The win put the Bruins two games away from back-to-back national titles and set
up a marquee semifinal against host Stanford.
Game 4: Stanford 15, UC Davis 9
In the nightcap, Stanford gave the home fans exactly what they wanted: a commanding performance
and a ticket to the semifinals. The Cardinal jumped out early and never allowed UC Davis to find
sustained momentum, rolling to a 15–9 victory.
Stanford’s balanced attack was on full display, with five different players scoring multiple goals
and the Cardinal mixing inside power with outside shooting. Defensively, Stanford pressed the perimeter,
limited second-chance looks and used its counterattack to generate separation on the scoreboard,
turning an 8–4 halftime lead into a comfortable margin by the fourth quarter.
Head coach Brian Flacks praised his team’s defensive effort afterward, noting how quickly the
Cardinal responded when UC Davis tried to push back late in the second quarter.
The result: a second straight NCAA semifinal appearance and a high-stakes showdown with UCLA on home water.
USC vs. Fordham: Can the Rams Delay a UCLA–USC Collision Course?
The first semifinal today at Avery Aquatic Center comes with a built-in storyline:
if USC advances, it keeps alive the dream of a UCLA–USC championship clash on Sunday.
Fordham, however, has zero interest in being a supporting character.
The Rams have already busted one stereotype by becoming a consistent national contender from outside California;
now they’re aiming to knock out the top seed.
This is a rematch of last season’s NCAA semifinal — an overtime thriller that went USC’s way.
Fordham returns more seasoned and battle-tested, while USC’s depth and speed may be even better than a year ago.
The matchup feels like a test of whether a deep, tradition-rich power can outlast a hungry, ascending challenger
over four quarters.
Top Ranked USC has sites set on Championships
For Fordham, the key is pace and possession. The Rams’ stars must continue to produce, but just as importantly,
they have to limit live-ball turnovers that fuel USC’s counterattack and avoid long stretches of exclusion trouble.
If Fordham can keep this game in the half court and win enough six-on-five battles, an upset is very much in play.
For USC, the formula looks familiar: roll two solid lines, press defensively, counter hard and trust
that the sheer volume of high-quality chances will eventually break the game open.
If the Trojans seize control at center, own the counter lanes and execute on the power play,
they’ll be favorites to take the first step toward spoiling UCLA’s repeat bid.
UCLA vs. Stanford: Can the Cardinal Stop the Bruins’ Repeat Bid?
The second semifinal is an MPSF rivalry game with championship-level stakes.
UCLA is two wins away from a repeat title; Stanford, playing in front of a home crowd,
has a chance to stop the Bruins’ run cold and open the door for a Cardinal championship storyline of its own.
If UCLA advances, the narrative everyone circles is obvious: Bruins vs. Trojans for the 2025 NCAA crown.
But Stanford’s 15–9 dismantling of UC Davis showed just how dangerous the Cardinal can be when all cylinders
are firing. They have the scoring depth to match UCLA goal-for-goal and the physical defense to make
every Bruin possession uncomfortable.
UCLA will lean on its proven stars and big-game experience.
If the Bruins can start fast again, win the front-court matchups and generate early exclusions,
they can force Stanford to chase from behind — never an easy task in an NCAA semifinal.
Stanford, meanwhile, will try to turn the game into a grind.
With multiple shooters capable of multi-goal nights and a defense that feeds off the energy
of the Avery crowd, the Cardinal are built to drag even elite offenses into deep water.
If they can slow UCLA’s perimeter threats and limit high-percentage looks on the power play,
Stanford has every chance to flip the script and send the defending champs home early.
What’s at Stake in Palo Alto?
By Sunday afternoon, the storyline will be settled.
Either UCLA will complete a repeat run, USC will spoil its rival’s bid and add another trophy to its legacy,
Stanford will ride home water to a title, or Fordham will finish off one of the most remarkable
non-California climbs the sport has seen.
What began as a chalk day for the top four seeds has set up a weekend showcase for men’s college water polo
at its highest level — and a simple, compelling question:
will UCLA repeat, or will USC (or someone else) rewrite the script at Stanford?
Final 2025 Rankings
2025 NCAA Water Polo Final Rankings
References
- NCAA.com – “2025 NC men’s water polo championship: Bracket, schedule, scores”
- USC vs. Concordia–Irvine game coverage – USC and Concordia Irvine box scores and recaps for the Dec. 5 NCAA quarterfinal at Avery Aquatic Center.
- Fordham vs. San Jose State quarterfinal – Fordham Athletics and Collegiate Water Polo Association recaps of Fordham’s 13–9 win over San Jose State, plus San Jose State’s tournament wrap
- UCLA vs. Princeton quarterfinal – UCLA Athletics, Princeton Athletics and Daily Bruin stories on UCLA’s 15–11 win over Princeton in the first round.
- Stanford vs. UC Davis quarterfinal – Stanford Athletics “NCAA Semifinal Bound Cardinal” recap and Big West Conference story on UC Davis’ 15–9 loss to the host Cardinal.