The USC Trojans (16-16) travel to face off against the Purdue Boilermakers (21-10) on Thursday, March 13th. This game will be played at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis and televised on BTN. USC is coming off a win in their previous game, while Purdue is looking to get back on track from a loss to the Illinois. Tip-off is set for 9:00 ET.

USC Trojans vs Purdue Boilermakers

The Trojans Are Coming Off A Win

USC Trojans Recent Game/Games

USC evened their season record at 16-16 with a 97-89 road win over Rutgers on Wednesday. Favored by 1 point, the Trojans covered the spread, and the game’s total points of 186 exceeded the O/U line of 152.

USC led 41-30 at halftime but allowed 43 points in the 2nd half while scoring 32. Despite the defensive lapse, they held on for the win.

The Boilermakers Are Coming Off A Win

Purdue’s season record dropped to 21-10 after an 88-80 loss to Illinois on Friday. The Boilermakers were +4.5 point underdogs going into the game and failed to cover the spread. The total points for the game hit 168, surpassing the O/U line of 159.5.

Purdue led 42-40 at halftime but allowed 48 points in the 2nd half while scoring 38. Defensive struggles in the 2nd half were a key factor in the loss.

Trojans Offense Breakdown

USC’s offense was firing on all cylinders in their last game, putting up 97 points while shooting 51.7% from the field. They connected on 43.5% of their threes, hitting 10 of 23 attempts, and were solid from the line, making 80.6% of their free throws. Their effective field goal percentage was 60%, and they grabbed 10 offensive rebounds, dishing out 19 assists as a team.

Desmond Claude led the way with 28 points and 8 assists, shooting 61.5% from the field. Dylan Harper added 27 points and 8 assists, though he struggled from deep, hitting just 1 of 8 threes. Wesley Yates III was perfect from beyond the arc, knocking down all 4 of his attempts and finishing with 24 points.

Boilermakers Offense Breakdown

Purdue’s offense was efficient in their last game, shooting 50.8% from the field and posting an effective field goal percentage of 54%. They hit 60% of their two-point attempts, though they struggled from beyond the arc, connecting on just 5 of 18 threes for 27.8%. At the free-throw line, they were solid, making 11 of 13 attempts for 84.6%.

Trey Kaufman-Renn led the way with 29 points on 13 of 23 shooting, while Will Riley added 22 points, hitting 2 of 4 from deep. Tre White also contributed 20 points, making 3 of 5 threes and shooting 77.8% overall. Braden Smith dished out 12 assists to go with 18 points, though he struggled from three, hitting just 2 of 9 attempts.

Trojans Team Defense

USC’s defense struggled in their last game, giving up 89 points on 42% shooting. They allowed 57% shooting from two-point range, with their opponents hitting 27 of 47 attempts.

From beyond the arc, USC held their opponents to 20% shooting, as they made just 6 of 30 threes. However, they sent them to the line 22 times, where they converted 17 free throws at a 77% rate. USC also gave up 15 offensive rebounds.

Boilermakers Team Defense

Defensively, USC struggled, giving up 89 points while allowing their opponents to shoot 42% from the field. The Trojans had a tough time inside, as the other team hit 57% of their two-point attempts, going 27/47.

From beyond the arc, USC held their opponents to 20% shooting, with just 6 made threes on 30 attempts. However, they sent them to the free-throw line 22 times, where they converted 17 for 77%. USC also gave up 15 offensive rebounds.

Trojans vs Boilermakers Trends

• Through their last three road contests, the Trojans offense has averaged 73 points per game while allowing an average of 87. USC posted an overall record of 1-2 while going 1-2 ATS.
• In their last five games at home, the Boilermakers have a straight up record of 1-4 while going 2-3 vs. the spread. The team averaged 73 points per game in this stretch.
• The last ten games that USC was the underdog, they have an ATS mark of 3-7 while going 2-8 straight up.
• Looking back on the team’s last ten games as the favorite, the Boilermakers have a straight up record of 7-3. Their record vs the spread in these games was 6-4.

Trojans vs Boilermakers Prediction

The Boilermakers is our pick to not only win with a projected score of 79-68. But we also favor them to cover the spread. Our bet is on the Boilermakers at -9.5.

Right now, the over/under line for the game is sitting at 150.5 and given that our model is projecting 147 points between the teams, we like the under.

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All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!

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* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.