California Golden Bears vs USC Trojans Prediction, 11/17/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: California Golden Bears vs USC Trojans

Date: Sunday, November 17, 2024

Location: Galen Center in Los Angeles, CA

TV: BTN

The USC Trojans (3-0) are hosting the California Golden Bears (2-1) at Galen Center on Sunday.

The California Golden Bears played Vanderbilt and went home with a loss by a final score of 85-69 in their last contest. In regard to personal fouls, the Golden Bears walked away with 12 while Vanderbilt racked up 17 personal fouls. They also knocked down 7 of 25 shots from distance. Vanderbilt walked away from this one shooting 53.3% at the charity stripe by making 8 of their 15 shots. On top of that, Vanderbilt totaled 31 rebounds (7 offensive, 24 defensive), but wasn't able to record a block. Vanderbilt doled out 19 assists and had 18 steals in this game. In relation to defense, California allowed the other team to go 51.5% from the floor on 35 of 68 shooting. They also recorded 6 assists in this game as well as forcing the opposition into 8 turnovers and earning 3 steals. In terms of grabbing rebounds, they collected 35 with 8 of them being of the offensive sort. From the free throw line, the Golden Bears knocked down 16 of their 21 tries for a percentage of 76.2%. California finished the game having earned a 43.6% FG percentage (24 of 55) and knocked down 5 out of their 14 shots from beyond the arc.

Andrej Stojakovic is someone who was a major factor for this game. He ended up shooting 41.7% from the field but didn't record a dime. He was on the court for 25 minutes played and also snagged 6 boards. He finished with 17 points on 5 of 12 shooting.

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California comes into this contest with a win-loss mark of 2-1 for the season. They average 82.0 points per contest (133rd in Division 1) while going 44.1% from the floor. The Golden Bears are hitting 36.5% on shots from beyond the arc (23 of 63) and 75.3% from the free throw line. As a unit, California is collecting 40.7 rebounds per contest and has earned 30 assists on the year, which ranks 327th in the nation in terms of passing the rock. They cough up possession 13.7 times per game and as a group are committing 16.7 fouls on a nightly basis.

When they are on defense, the Golden Bears are forcing 14.3 turnovers per contest and they draw 22.3 personal fouls. They are currently ranked 166th in college hoops in giving up assists with 36 relinquished on the campaign. The Golden Bears defense is allowing a FG percentage of 44.7% (84 of 188) and they concede 34.7 rebounds per contest as a team. They are surrendering 38.8% from 3-point land and they rank 290th in college hoops in opponents points per game (77.0).

In their last game, the USC Trojans got the victory with a final of 98-95 against UT Arlington. The Trojans corralled 19 defensive boards and 3 offensive boards for a total of 22 in the matchup. They coughed it up 10 times, while recording 6 steals in this game. UT Arlington had 26 fouls in this matchup which got the Trojans to the charity stripe for a total of 27 tries. They were able to make 22 of the free throws for a percentage of 81.5%. In regard to 3-point shots, USC converted 6 out of their 18 tries (33.3%). When the final whistle was blown, the Trojans finished the game shooting 35 out of 63 from the field which had them at 55.6%. The Trojans permitted UT Arlington to bury 30 of their 53 attempts from the field which gave them a rate of 56.6% in this game. They finished 66.7% from beyond the perimeter by connecting on 16 out of 24 and ended up shooting 19 of 23 from the charity stripe (82.6%). In relation to how they rebounded, USC allowed UT Arlington to pull down 26 overall (2 on the offensive glass).

Desmond Claude pitched in for the Trojans in the game. He made 9 out of 12 for the game for a field goal percentage of 75.0%, and had 5 rebounds. He earned 26 points in his 37 minutes of playing time and accounted for 8 assists in this contest.

USC has a record of 3-0 on the season. The Trojans are committing 20.3 fouls every game and they hit 72.1% from the free throw line. Their rate of assisting teammates is at 21.0 times per game (17th in Division 1) and they lose possession by turning the ball over 8.3 times per game. USC has scored 250 pts on the year (83.3 per game) and they pull in 28.0 boards per contest. In terms of offensive execution, the Trojans are hitting on 49.7% from the field, which has them ranked 72nd in college basketball.

The Trojans on the defensive side of the court are 212th in college hoops in PPG surrendered with 71.7. They have forced 16.3 TO's per game and allow teams to shoot 43.4% from the field (232nd in Division 1). The USC defense gives up 37.1% on shots from behind the 3-point line (26 of 70) and opponents are converting on 79.2% of their free throw shots. They have given up 16.3 assists and 33.7 rebounds per game, ranking them 322nd and 146th in college hoops.

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take USC

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