USC Trojans vs Kansas Jayhawks Prediction, 3/22/2021 College Basketball Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: USC Trojans vs Kansas Jayhawks

Date: Monday, March 22, 2021

Location: Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, IN

TV: CBS

Odds/Point Spread: USC (-1.5)

The USC Trojans (23-7) head to Hinkle Fieldhouse on Monday where they'll take on the Kansas Jayhawks (21-8) in the NCAA Tournament. Kansas opens this matchup as 1.5-point underdogs. The over/under is set at 137.

USC enters this matchup with a record of 23-7 for the season. The Trojans are shooting 34.7% on three-point attempts (189 of 544) and 64.5% from the free throw line. They have an average of 74.7 points per contest (87th in college basketball) while connecting on 46.8% from the field. They lose possession via turnover 12.0 times per game and as a team they commit 15.3 personal fouls on a nightly basis. As a unit, USC is grabbing 39.3 rebounds per game and has accounted for 416 assists for the campaign, which is 30th in the country in terms of passing the ball. Defensively, the Trojans are forcing their opponents into 11.6 turnovers every game and they draw 19.0 fouls. They are ranked 303rd in college basketball in giving up assists with 372 relinquished so far this year. The Trojans defense is giving up an opponent shooting percentage of 39.0% (703 of 1,803) and they concede 32.2 boards per game as a unit. They surrender 34.0% on 3-pointers and they are 47th in Division 1 in points per game allowed (64.8).

The USC Trojans faced the Drake Bulldogs and notched a win by a score of 72-56 in their last game. USC wrapped up the contest having earned a 50.0% field goal percentage (29 out of 58) and knocked down 6 out of their 18 shots from beyond the perimeter. At the free throw line, the Trojans converted 8 of their 15 attempts for a percentage of 53.3%. When talking about rebounding, they compiled 35 with 9 of them being of the offensive variety. They also dished out 20 dimes for the game in addition to creating 7 turnovers and having 3 steals. In reference to defending, USC allowed 29.4% from the field on 20 of 68 shooting. Drake earned 11 assists and had 5 steals in this game. Moreover, Drake pulled down 31 boards (12 offensive, 19 defensive) and earned 1 block. Drake ended up shooting 81.8% from the charity stripe by burying 9 of their 11 tries. They also buried 7 out of their 23 tries from beyond the arc.

Evan Mobley is one player who came through in this matchup. He accounted for 17 points on 7 of 15 shooting. He was on the hardwood for 38 mins played and also grabbed 11 boards. Mobley ended up shooting 46.7% from the floor and recorded 2 assists. Someone else that was a determining factor in this game for the Trojans was Isaiah Mobley. He totaled 5 rebounds in his 23 min on the hardwood. He finished the game shooting 85.7% from the floor in this matchup by shooting 6-of-7 (15 points). When all was said and done, Mobley collected 2 assists.

Kansas has a win-loss mark of 21-8 for the campaign. Kansas has scored 2,140 points for the campaign (73.8 per game) and they snag 37.8 rebounds per game. The Jayhawks have committed 15.3 fouls every game and they go 71.5% from the free throw line. In terms of offensive execution, the Jayhawks are shooting 44.1% from the field, which has them ranked 184th in the country. They are assisting teammates 13.9 times per contest (120th in college basketball) and they are giving up possession 12.2 times per game. The Jayhawks are ranked 63rd in the nation in points per game surrendered with 66.4. The Kansas defense concedes 32.8% on shots from 3-point land (211 of 643) and opponents are making 72.6% of their free throw attempts. They surrender 11.5 assists and 34.3 boards per game, which is ranked 70th and 148th in college hoops. They have forced 13.9 TO's per game and have let teams shoot 40.9% from the floor (51st in the country).

When they last played, the Kansas Jayhawks walked away with a victory by a final of 93-84 against the Eastern Washington Eagles. The Jayhawks were able to collect 23 defensive rebounds and 9 offensive boards totaling 32 for the matchup. They also turned the ball over 5 times, while recording 7 steals for the contest. The Eagles had 17 personal fouls for this game which took the Jayhawks to the free throw line for 16 attempts. They were able to make 13 of the free throw tries for a rate of 81.3%. When it comes to three-point attempts, Kansas made 12 of 30 tries (40.0%). When the game finished, the Jayhawks ended up shooting 34 out of 71 from the floor which had them at 47.9%. The Jayhawks allowed the Eagles to make 29 of 58 tries from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 50.0% for the matchup. They went 38.5% from behind the 3-point line via 10 of 26 and finished the game at 16 of 18 from the free throw line (88.9%). Regarding rebounding, Kansas allowed Eastern Washington to get 29 in total (3 offensive).

Ochai Agbaji ended up being a major contributor for the Jayhawks in this matchup. He converted 8 out of 17 in this contest for a field goal percentage of 47.1%, and had 7 rebounds. Agbaji totaled 21 points in his 39 minutes on the hardwood and had 3 assists for the contest. One more player that played a role for Kansas was Marcus Garrett. He left the arena with 3 dimes in 33 minutes on the hardwood, and he knocked down 8 of 12 from the floor. Garrett walked away from this one going 66.7% from the floor as well as collecting 20 points and 8 boards.

So what is Tonights Parlay prediction?

Parlay's Pundit's Pick: Take USC (-1.5) and under 137 points

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