The USC Trojans (3-0) try to stay unbeaten when they match up with the Cal State Northridge Matadors (2-2) at Galen Center. Action gets underway at 9:00 pm ET on Monday, Nov. 23 and can be seen on PAC.
The Trojans defeated New Mexico 90-82 on Saturday. Jordan McLaughlin led all scorers on the team with 19 points on 5-for-7 shooting. The Matadors are coming off a 72-52 win over Vanguard on Wednesday. Micheal Warren led the game in scoring with 17 points on 7-for-10 shooting.
USC is a big 18-point favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is sitting at 158 points. The Trojans have started off well with a 3-0 record Straight Up (SU) as well as Against The Spread (ATS). The Trojans have one of the most prolific offenses in the entire nation, averaging 91.3 points per game. The rebounding edge goes to the Trojans in this matchup, who are one of the top rebounding teams in the nation with an average of 45.3 boards per game. Turning to the defensive side, the Trojans are the second-best team in the country at blocking shots, averaging 9.0 blocks per game.
On the other side, Cal State Northridge has a SU record of 2-2 and an ATS record of 1-2.
This game marks the first time these teams will play this season. The last time these two played, USC won, bumping its SU record to 3-1 over the Matadors. The Matadors hold the advantage ATS with a record of 3-1.
Predictions: SU Winner – USC, ATS Winner – USC, O/U – Over
Notes
USC is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of USC’s last 6 games.
USC is 6-14 SU in its last 20 games.
USC is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing CS Northridge.
USC is one of the top-scoring teams in the nation, averaging 91.3 points per game (ranked 18th). Cal State Northridge, on the other hand, allows 69.5 points per game (ranked 145th).
In its last game, Cal State Northridge won by a margin of 20 points. USC is 1-0 in games decided by a margin of 18 points or more. Cal State Northridge also has a 1-0 record in blowouts.
The USC Trojans average 74.9 possessions and 1.220 points per possession in games this season. The Cal State Northridge Matadors average fewer possessions with 69.0, as well as fewer points per possession with 1.040.
The USC Trojans and the Cal State Northridge Matadors both rank higher in average field goal percentage when compared to their effective field goal percentages. USC is 52nd and 44th in the nation for eFG% and FG% respectively, while Cal State Northridge ranks 138th and 84th in these categories.
USC ranks 59th in the nation with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.43, while Cal State Northridge ranks 95th with an A/TO of 1.27.
USC, the 30th-ranked team in rebounding, register an average of 45.3 rebounds per game. Cal State Northridge does worse, ranked 223rd with 36.2.
Cal State Northridge ranks 324th in offensive rebounds, while USC ranks at 34th in defensive rebounds.
Opponents have had an average turnover percentage of 15.6% when playing Cal State Northridge this season. USC is undefeated this season (1-0) when its TO% is 15.6% or higher.