Gonzaga Bulldogs vs USC Trojans Prediction, 12/2/2023 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Gonzaga Bulldogs vs USC Trojans

Date: Saturday, December 2, 2023

Location: MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, NV

TV: ESPN

The USC Trojans (5-2) will try to beat the Gonzaga Bulldogs (5-1) at MGM Grand Garden Arena on Saturday.

The Gonzaga Bulldogs took the court against CSU Bakersfield and earned the victory with a final of 81-65 in their last contest. With respect to fouls, the Bulldogs walked away with 10 and CSU Bakersfield accumulated 18 fouls. They knocked down 6 of 19 shots from beyond the arc. CSU Bakersfield finished the game at 100.0% from the charity stripe by converting 9 of their 9 shots. Moreover, CSU Bakersfield had 23 boards (5 offensive, 18 defensive), but didn't notch a block. CSU Bakersfield earned 8 dimes and had 4 steals in this matchup. With respect to defending, Gonzaga allowed 40.3% from the floor on 25 of 62 shooting. They also doled out 10 assists in this game as well as forcing 10 turnovers and earning 4 steals. In reference to grabbing boards, they compiled 32 with 8 of them being of the offensive variety. At the charity stripe, the Bulldogs converted 16 of their 20 attempts for a rate of 80.0%. Gonzaga finished with a 52.6% field goal percentage (30 of 57) and made 5 out of their 14 shots from 3-point land.

Ryan Nembhard is someone who was a contributor for the contest. He totaled 22 points on 8 of 12 shooting. He was on the court for 36 minutes played and totaled 2 boards. He shot 66.7% from the floor and recorded 5 dimes.

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Gonzaga will play this game with a win-loss record of 5-1 so far this season. They lose possession via turnover 12.3 times per contest and as a basketball team are committing 16.5 fouls per contest. As a team, Gonzaga is pulling in 44.2 boards per game and has accounted for 87 assists for the season, which is 224th in the nation in terms of passing. The Bulldogs are hitting 30.9% on three-point attempts (38 of 123) and 66.7% from the charity stripe. They are averaging 83.0 points per game (45th in D-1) while hitting 49.6% from the floor.

On defense, the Bulldogs are forcing 11.7 turnovers every game while drawing 18.5 personal fouls. They are ranked 18th in college hoops in giving up assists to the opposition with 54 relinquished for the season. The Bulldogs defense is allowing and opponent field goal percentage of 37.6% (141 of 375) and they surrender 30.8 boards per contest as a basketball team. They are conceding 25.0% on 3-pointers and they are 67th in the nation in PPG allowed (64.7).

The last time they took the hardwood, the USC Trojans went home victorious with a score of 106-78 when they played Eastern Washington. With respect to cleaning up the glass, USC permitted Eastern Washington to pull down 27 overall (9 on the offensive side). They finished 38.2% from distance by connecting on 13 out of 34 and walked away from this one shooting 9 of 15 at the free throw line (60.0%). The Trojans allowed Eastern Washington to knock down 28 of 63 attempts from the field which had them at 44.4% in the matchup. When the final whistle blew, the Trojans finished the game shooting 36 out of 63 from the floor which gave them a percentage of 57.1%. Concerning shots from beyond the arc, USC converted 12 of 24 attempts (50.0%). They were able to knock down 22 of them for a rate of 78.6%. Eastern Washington committed 21 fouls for this game which took the Trojans to the free throw line for a total of 28 attempts. They turned it over 7 times, while recording 6 steals in this contest. The Trojans pulled down 24 defensive boards and 9 offensive boards for a total of 33 for the game.

Boogie Ellis ended up having an impact for the Trojans for the game. He tallied 28 points in his 27 minutes on the hardwood and earned 1 assist in this contest. He buried 9 of 13 for the matchup for a field goal rate of 69.2%, and had 2 rebounds.

USC has a win-loss mark of 5-2 so far this year. The Trojans commit 15.1 fouls every game and they shoot 76.5% from the free throw line. Their rate of dishing out assists is at 14.9 times per contest (100th in D-1) and they are giving up possession 13.6 times per contest. USC has earned 555 points so far this season (79.3 per game) and they average 37.4 boards per game. When it comes to executing on offense, the Trojans are connecting on 46.6% from the field, which is 106th in the nation.

The Trojans on defense are ranked 139th in college basketball in PPG allowed with 68.7. They have forced 13.1 TO's per game and have allowed teams to shoot 40.0% from the floor (80th in the nation). The USC defense allows 30.7% on three-point shots (55 of 179) and their opponents are knocking down 67.3% of their free throw attempts. They allow 14.7 dimes and 36.3 rebounds every game, which is ranked 310th and 236th in college hoops.

Who will win tonight's NCAA basketball game against the spread?

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Gonzaga

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