Minnesota Golden Gophers vs USC Trojans Prediction, 2/15/2025 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Minnesota Golden Gophers vs USC Trojans

Date: Saturday, February 15, 2025

Location: Galen Center in Tempe, AZ

TV: BTN

The USC Trojans (14-10) will try to beat the Minnesota Golden Gophers (12-12) at Galen Center on Saturday.

The Minnesota Golden Gophers faced Illinois and walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 95-74 in their last game. With respect to fouls, the Golden Gophers finished with 15 and Illinois recorded 17 fouls. They also buried 9 out of their 16 tries from beyond the arc. Illinois finished the game shooting 87.5% from the charity stripe by converting 14 of 16 shots. Moreover, Illinois collected 37 boards (9 offensive, 28 defensive), but didn't notch a rejection. Illinois recorded 21 assists and had 1 steal in this contest. When it comes to defense, Minnesota let their opponent shoot 63.2% from the field on 36 of 57 shooting. They also doled out 15 dimes for the matchup as well as forcing the other team into 6 turnovers and having 5 steals. When discussing rebounding, they earned 20 with 8 of them being on the offensive end. From the charity stripe, the Golden Gophers made 12 of their 14 shots for a rate of 85.7%. Minnesota wrapped up the contest with a 40.9% field goal percentage (27 out of 66) and made 8 of their 20 3-pointers.

Lu'Cye Patterson is one guy who came through in the game. He shot 52.9% from the floor and recorded 4 dimes. He played 37 minutes and collected 1 rebound. He ended up finishing with 24 points on 9 out of 17 shooting.

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Minnesota will enter this matchup with a record of 12-12 on the season. They currently have an average of 69.0 pts per contest (300th in college hoops) on 44.8% from the field. The Golden Gophers are connecting on 32.9% on 3-point shots (160 of 486) and 65.2% from the free throw line. As a unit, Minnesota is grabbing 33.5 rebounds per game and has 378 assists for the campaign, which has them ranked 81st in the nation in terms of passing the ball. They lose possession via turnover 10.4 times per contest and as a squad they commit 17.0 personal fouls per contest.

Defensively, the Golden Gophers have forced 10.7 turnovers every game while drawing 17.0 personal fouls. They give up 34.7% on 3-pointers and they are 121st in D-1 in points per game allowed (69.8). The Golden Gophers defensively are giving up a shooting percentage of 43.9% (593 of 1,352) and they surrender 34.9 boards per contest as a group. They are currently ranked 293rd in the nation in allowing assists to the opposition with 357 surrendered on the season.

In their last game, the USC Trojans took home the win by a final score of 92-67 against Penn State. The Trojans were able to pull down 23 defensive rebounds and 3 offensive boards for a total of 26 for the matchup. They also turned it over 15 times, while recording 7 steals in this matchup. Penn State earned 20 fouls in this contest which got the Trojans to the free throw line for a total of 17 tries. They were able to bury 14 of the free throw tries for a rate of 82.4%. With regard to shots from distance, USC knocked down 12 of their 16 tries (75.0%). When the final whistle blew, the Trojans ended up shooting 33 out of 49 from the floor which had them shooting 67.3%. The Trojans permitted Penn State to make 21 out of 49 attempts from the field which had them shooting 42.9% in this contest. They finished 26.9% from distance by hitting 7 of 26 and ended up shooting 18 of 28 at the free throw line (64.3%). Concerning rebounds, USC allowed Penn State to snag 22 overall (8 offensive).

Chibuzo Agbo was important for the Trojans for this game. He converted 7 of 9 for the matchup for a rate of 77.8%, and tallied 2 rebounds. He earned 21 points in his 25 mins on the court, but wasn't able to get an assist.

USC has a record of 14-10 for the season. When it comes to executing on offense, the Trojans are hitting on 48.4% from the field, which is 31st in the nation. USC has accounted for 1,849 pts for the campaign (77.0 per game) and they grab 31.7 rebounds per game. Their rate of assisting teammates is at 15.7 times per contest (62nd in the nation) and they are turning it over 11.5 times per contest. The Trojans commit 18.1 fouls every game while shooting 72.8% from the charity stripe.

The Trojans on the defensive side of the court are 229th in college hoops in points per game surrendered with 73.1. They are forcing their opponents into 12.6 turnovers per game and allow teams to shoot 44.8% from the floor (256th in college hoops). The USC defense allows 31.0% on three-point shots (164 of 529) and opponents are knocking down 74.7% of their foul shots. They have surrendered 14.6 assists and 32.5 rebounds per game, which is 301st and 71st in the country.

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take USC

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