The UC Santa Barbara Gauchos welcome the USC Trojans to Thunderdome. Action starts at 10:00 pm ET on Thursday, Dec. 3.
The Gauchos lost a close one to Arizona State 70-68 on Sunday. Michael Bryson was the game’s high scorer, putting up 23 points. The Trojans, meanwhile, are coming off an 83-73 loss against Monmouth on Sunday. Bennie Boatwright played well for USC, accounting for 16 points, nine rebounds, and one steal.
UC Santa Barbara, a three-point underdog, will look to capitalize at home against USC. The matchup has an estimated Over/Under (O/U) of 148 points. The Gauchos come into this game 2-3 Straight Up (SU) and 3-2 Against The Spread (ATS). The Gauchos are an impressive shooting team from the line with a .747 free throw percentage, one of the highest marks in Division I.
Across the court, the Trojans head into the game with records of 5-2 both ATS and SU. The Trojans rank 33rd in the country in scoring, averaging 84.6 points per game. The Trojans have controlled the glass with an average of 44.4 rebounds per game, 17th in the country. The USC defense has been a problem for competitors, allowing only .378 shooting from the field to its opponents. When it comes to defending the rim, the Trojans are one of the best in the nation with an average of 6.7 blocks per game.
UC Santa Barbara and USC will be facing off for their first head-to-head game in recent seasons.
Predictions: SU Winner – USC, ATS Winner – USC, O/U – Over
Notes
Santa Barbara is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games.
Santa Barbara is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games at home.
Santa Barbara is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing USC.
Ranked 89th, the USC Trojans have an offensive rating of 111.9. The UC Santa Barbara Gauchos rank 215th with a defensive rating of just 103.5.
UC Santa Barbara has an average field goal percentage of 39.8%. USC is a losing 1-2 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
The UC Santa Barbara Gauchos rank higher based on their field goal percentage (307th) than their effective field goal percentage (314th). The USC Trojans rank higher based on their effective field goal percentage (85th) than their field goal percentage (101st).
USC ranks 88th in assists, recording 15.4 per game. UC Santa Barbara performs worse at 149th with 14.0 assists per game.
The USC Trojans average 44.4 rebounds per game and are ranked 17th. The UC Santa Barbara Gauchos average 35.8 rebounds per game, ranked 231st.
The USC Trojans rank 73rd in offensive rebounds. The UC Santa Barbara Gauchos rank 268th in the nation in defensive rebounds.
Opponents have had an average turnover percentage of 19.4% when playing UC Santa Barbara this season. USC is undefeated (2-0) when its TO% is 19.4% or higher.
