Penn State Nittany Lions vs USC Trojans Prediction, 2/11/2025 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Penn State Nittany Lions vs USC Trojans

Date: Tuesday, February 11, 2025

Location: Galen Center in Los Angeles, CA

TV: BTN

Galen Center is the site where the USC Trojans (13-10) will meet the Penn State Nittany Lions (13-11) on Tuesday.

The Penn State Nittany Lions took the court against UCLA and went home with a loss by a final score of 78-54 in their last contest. Penn State walked away from the contest with a 38.0% field goal percentage (19 out of 50) and knocked down 5 of their 21 shots from beyond the arc. From the charity stripe, the Nittany Lions buried 11 of their 12 attempts for a rate of 91.7%. Concerning rebounding, they earned 31 with 7 of them being offensive. They also dished out 7 assists in the matchup in addition to forcing 3 turnovers and getting 1 steal. Pertaining to defending, Penn State allowed their opponent to shoot 47.0% from the field on 31 out of 66 shooting. UCLA recorded 21 assists and had 13 steals for the game. In addition, UCLA grabbed 32 rebounds (11 offensive, 21 defensive), but didn't notch a block. UCLA finished shooting 73.3% at the free throw line by knocking down 11 of 15 tries. They also buried 5 out of their 19 attempts from beyond the perimeter. In relation to fouls, the Nittany Lions ended up with 12 while UCLA recorded 12 fouls.

Zach Hicks is someone who came through in the game. He ended up walking away with 14 points on 5 out of 8 shooting. He played 30 minutes played and grabbed 8 rebounds. He ended up shooting 62.5% from the floor but wasn't able to get a dime.

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Penn State comes into this one with a record of 13-11 for the campaign. They are averaging 80.3 points per outing (48th in the nation) while going 47.7% from the field. The Nittany Lions are connecting on 33.9% on 3-point shots (170 of 501) and 75.1% from the free throw line. As a unit, Penn State is snagging 34.4 boards per game and is sitting with 386 dimes on the season, which has them ranked 50th in college in terms of passing. They lose possession by turning the ball over 12.1 times per game and as a group they commit 16.5 fouls per contest.

When they are on the defensive end, the Nittany Lions are forcing 14.6 turnovers per game while drawing 19.8 personal fouls. They are ranked 350th in college in giving up assists with 391 conceded this year. The Nittany Lions defense is giving up an opponent shooting percentage of 44.9% (634 of 1,411) and they relinquish 34.0 rebounds per game as a group. They concede 33.6% on 3-point attempts while they are 222nd in Division 1 in PPG from their opponents (72.7).

In their last game, the USC Trojans took a loss by a final score of 90-72 against Purdue. In relation to cleaning the glass, USC allowed Purdue to pull down 43 in total (15 on the offensive glass). They shot 23.1% from beyond the perimeter by hitting 6 out of 26 and ended up shooting 18 out of 26 from the charity stripe (69.2%). The Trojans permitted Purdue to knock down 33 of their 66 tries from the field which had them at 50.0% in this game. In all, the Trojans ended up shooting 26 out of 63 from the floor which had them shooting 41.3%. When it comes to shots from downtown, USC knocked down 4 of their 26 attempts (15.4%). They were able to bury 16 of those for a percentage of 55.2%. Purdue was called for 24 fouls in this matchup which took the Trojans to the free throw line for a total of 29 tries. They turned it over 10 times, while recording 6 steals in this matchup. The Trojans were able to pull down 17 defensive rebounds and 11 offensive rebounds totaling 28 for this game.

Wesley Yates III ended up being a major contributor for the Trojans for the contest. He buried 11 out of 22 for the contest for a field goal rate of 50.0%, and had 4 rebounds. He accumulated 30 points in his 32 minutes on the hardwood and earned 2 dimes in this matchup.

USC has a win-loss record of 13-10 on the campaign. The Trojans are responsible for committing 18.0 fouls per game and they connect on 72.5% from the free throw line. They are assisting teammates 15.4 times per game (76th in the nation) and they lose possession via turnover 11.4 times per contest. USC has scored 1,757 pts for the year (76.4 per contest) and they collect 31.9 boards per game. As an offense, the Trojans are shooting 47.7% from the floor, which has them ranked 52nd in D-1.

The Trojans on the defensive side of the court are 236th in college in points allowed per contest with 73.3. They are forcing their opponents into 12.5 TO's per game and have let teams shoot 44.9% from the field (261st in college). The USC defense gives up 31.2% on shots from 3-point land (157 of 503) and their opposition makes 75.3% of their free throw attempts. They have given up 14.8 dimes and 32.9 total boards per game, which ranks them 311th and 93rd in college hoops.

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take USC

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