The No. 14 USC Trojans (4-1) head to SMU to take on the Mustangs (6-2) in a matchup that pits phenomenal offense against superb defense. The game can be seen on ESPNU at 10 p.m. ET on Saturday, December 2, 2017.<\/p>\n
SMU is a 2-point favorite on the opening line, while the Over\/Under (O\/U) for the game opened at 140 points.<\/p>\n
In the Trojans’ last contest, they were beaten by the No. 16 Texas A&M Aggies, 75-59. Texas A&M’s effective field goal percentage was their largest advantage over USC. The Aggies had a rate of 0.479 (below their season average of 0.584), while the Trojans posted a mark of 0.331 (below their season average of 0.528). Chimezie Metu led USC in scoring with 13 points on 5-for-14 shooting.<\/p>\n
The Mustangs won big over the Texas-Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros in their last game, 95-64. The Mustangs knocked down 20 of their 26 free throws (76.9 percent) and had a turnover percentage of 8.9 (better than their season average of 15.8). With 18 points, six assists and five rebounds, Jimmy Whitt played well for SMU.<\/p>\n
This matchup figures to be a high-scoring affair as a pair of the NCAA’s best offenses battle. SMU ranks 12th with 117.3 points per 100 possessions and USC is 56th (111.9) dating back to last season. <\/p>\n
USC heads into the game with records of 4-1 straight up (SU) and 3-2 against the spread (ATS). Vegas has a tendency to set the total high when the Trojans are involved, as 75.0 percent of their games have finished under the total.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, SMU is 6-2 SU and 2-2 ATS. Coinciding with USC, Mustangs games also tend to finish under the total (75.0 percent).<\/p>\n
The Trojans won both games against the Mustangs last season. In the last game, USC won 66-65. The Trojans knocked down 10 of their 14 free throws (71.4 percent) and had a better effective field goal percentage (0.560 vs. 0.500).<\/p>\n
Predictions: SU Winner – USC, ATS Winner – USC, O\/U – Over<\/p>\n
Betting Notes (2016-Present):<\/p>\n
SMU ranks 23rd in assists per game (16.4) while USC ranks 224th in assists allowed per game (14.0).<\/p>\n
The Mustangs rank eighth in rebounds allowed per game (30.0) while the Trojans rank 198th (35.8).<\/p>\n
USC ranks 132nd in three pointers attempted per game (22.0) while SMU ranks 299th in three pointers allowed per game (24.5).<\/p>\n
The Trojans rank 14th in blocks per game (5.3) while the Mustangs rank 118th (3.6).<\/p>\n
SMU ranks 17th in steals allowed per game (4.9) while USC ranks 69th (5.5).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The No. 14 USC Trojans (4-1) head to SMU to take on the Mustangs (6-2) in a matchup that pits phenomenal offense against superb defense. The game can be seen on ESPNU at 10 p.m. ET on Saturday, December 2, 2017. SMU is a 2-point favorite on the opening line, while the Over\/Under (O\/U) for […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36,29],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-81111","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-nba","7":"category-ncaab"},"yoast_head":"\n