USC Trojans vs Illinois Fighting Illini Prediction, 1/11/2025 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: USC Trojans vs Illinois Fighting Illini

Date: Saturday, January 11, 2025

Location: State Farm Center in Champaign, IL

TV: BTN

The USC Trojans (9-6) are traveling to State Farm Center on Saturday where they will attempt to beat the Illinois Fighting Illini (12-3).

The USC Trojans faced Indiana and went home with a loss by a final score of 82-69 in their last game. USC walked away from the game with a 41.0% FG percentage (25 out of 61) and knocked down 6 of 26 shots from distance. At the charity stripe, the Trojans knocked down 13 of their 18 attempts for a percentage of 72.2%. In the matter of pulling down rebounds, they earned 31 with 6 of them being of the offensive sort. They also recorded 15 assists for the contest while forcing the other team into 6 turnovers and earning 5 steals. In terms of the defense, USC allowed 43.9% from the field on 29 out of 66 shooting. Indiana distributed 17 dimes and had 4 steals for the game. In addition, Indiana grabbed 31 rebounds (7 offensive, 24 defensive), but wasn't able to record a block. Indiana shot 78.3% at the charity stripe by knocking down 18 of their 23 attempts. They made 6 out of their 21 shots from 3-point range. Regarding fouls, the Trojans finished with 20 and Indiana recorded 13 fouls.

Wesley Yates III is one guy who played a role in the game. He finished the game at 45.5% from the floor and distributed 3 dimes. He was on the court for 39 mins played and also totaled 4 rebounds. He ended up walking away with 18 points on 5 of 11 shooting.

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USC steps onto the court with a win-loss record of 9-6 on the year. They turn the ball over 11.4 times per contest and as a squad are committing 17.7 fouls per contest. As a team, USC is pulling down 32.1 boards per game and has 240 assists this season, which is 99th in D-1 in terms of passing the ball. The Trojans are shooting 33.2% on shots beyond the perimeter (94 of 283) and 75.2% from the free throw line. They are averaging 75.7 points per game (173rd in Division 1) while hitting 47.0% from the field.

Defensively, the Trojans are able to force 13.4 turnovers on a nightly basis while drawing 19.1 fouls. They currently rank 250th in the country in allowing assists to the opposition with 216 surrendered this season. The Trojans defensively are giving up a field goal percentage of 43.3% (366 of 845) and they surrender 32.7 boards per game as a group. They surrender 32.0% on 3-point attempts and they are 155th in the nation in points per game allowed (70.4).

The last time they took the court, the Illinois Fighting Illini took home the win by a final score of 91-52 when they faced Penn State. In reference to team rebounding, Illinois permitted Penn State to snag 31 in total (5 offensive). They wrapped up this game 16.7% from distance by connecting on 2 out of 12 and ended up going 10 out of 14 from the free throw line (71.4%). The Fighting Illini permitted Penn State to convert 20 out of 65 tries from the floor which had them shooting 30.8% for this game. When the final whistle blew, the Fighting Illini finished 34 out of 77 from the floor which gave them a percentage of 44.2%. Pertaining to shots from distance, Illinois made 10 of their 31 tries (32.3%). They were able to convert 13 of them for a percentage of 81.3%. Penn State committed 15 personal fouls for the contest which took the Fighting Illini to the charity stripe for 16 tries. They gave up possession of the ball 14 times, while getting 7 steals for the game. The Fighting Illini collected 36 defensive boards and 17 offensive rebounds totaling 53 for the contest.

Ben Humrichous ended up having an impact for the Fighting Illini for this contest. He racked up 21 points in his 23 minutes on the hardwood, but wasn't able to notch an assist. He converted 8 out of 15 in this matchup for a field goal rate of 53.3%, and accounted for 9 rebounds.

Illinois has a mark of 12-3 for the season. The Fighting Illini have committed 16.1 personal fouls every game and they connect on 75.4% from the free throw line. They are earning an assist 15.5 times per contest (100th in college) and they turn it over 11.8 times per game. Illinois has scored 1,318 pts for the season (87.9 per contest) and they pull in 45.9 boards per contest. As an offense, the Fighting Illini are hitting on 45.9% from the floor, which is ranked 142nd in the nation.

The Illinois defense allows 27.8% on shots from beyond the arc (88 of 317) and their opposition knocks down 66.0% of their free throw attempts. They concede 9.9 assists and 32.6 rebounds every game, ranking them 19th and 92nd in D-1. The Fighting Illini are ranked 58th in D-1 in points per game surrendered with 66.2. They have forced 10.8 TO's per game and have allowed teams to shoot 37.6% from the field (10th in D-1).

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take USC

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