USC vs Boston College: NCAA Tournament Predictions
Written March 17, 2009 by Jay Horne
The No. 10 seeded USC Trojans will be in a big first round battle with the No. 7 seeded Boston College Eagles. The game marks one of the most interesting match-ups in the entire first round on the NCAA Tournament. The Eagles fell just one point shy of upsetting the Duke Blue Devils in the ACC Tournament last Friday and will need another solid performance. The USC Trojans captured their first ever Pac-10 Tournament Championship last weekend pulling off their final victory against Arizona State 66-63. The Trojans put together a strong run at the right time winning 5 straight games heading into the big dance. The Trojans will attempt to keep the momentum alive this Friday night and take down a school from the prestigious ACC. The betting line for the game has been set at USC -1 over Boston College.
Boston College had a solid season in conference play this year. The Eagles upset both Duke and North Carolina at different points in the year and have definitely established a reputation that they can play with anyone. Boston College comes into the contest sporting a strong 75 point averaged that ranks right outside the top 50 in the country. The Eagles defensive side of the ball has not been a bright spot on the floor. Boston College has one of the lowest rated scoring defenses in the country allowing 70 points per game. However, the Eagles will attempt to put up some big numbers on the offensive side of the ball. Leading the charge is senior guard Tyrese Rice who has averaged 17.1 points per game this season. Rice is a veteran type player who has been very solid his entire career and will be a go to guy this Friday.
USC has been a very difficult team to predict this season. The Trojans have had winning and losing outcomes in the way of streaks since back in December. USC had lost 6 of their last 7 games before going on the impressive 5 game run to end the season and capture the Pac-10 Title. USC is only averaging 68 points per game this season on the offensive side of the ball. However, the Trojans have only allowed 63 points per game as well this season. USC is accustomed to a bit less scoring than the high scoring ACC that the Eagles are accustomed to playing. The game will be interesting to see if the scoring stays low or more points or scored than expected. The Trojans have 4 of their starting 5 players averaging double figures. Taj Gibson, Dwight Lewis, DeMar DeRozan, and Daniel Hackett all have the capability of getting hot from the floor making it difficult to lock down on any one player defensively. The Trojans will not be looking for a big performance from one of these standouts, but all 4 in attempt to get the first round win.
USC not only went 5-0 in their last 5 games, but also a perfect 5-0 ATS in that run as well. USC has also reached the over total in 5 of their last 7 games heading into the match-up with Boston College. Boston College on the other hand has found the under all 6 of their previous games. The Eagles have been pretty inconsistent against the books splitting their last 16 games at an 8-8 mark ATS. Another important fact to consider in the NCAA Tournament is team’s road records’ considering nobody is playing at home. Boston College 5-5 on the road this season while USC is only 3-9.
Pick – This should be a very close game the whole way, but I’ll take Boston College +1
If you are going to bet on college basketball during the tournament, be sure to check our college basketball odds feed for the best line on every game you bet. You can also check out the NCAA basketball picks from our leading handicapper to help pick your winners throughout March Madness.
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One Response to “USC vs Boston College: NCAA Tournament Predictions”
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Definitely agree that the Trojans have been inconsistent, but so have the Eagles. Right after they beat the top ranked and undefeated Tar Heels they lost to Harvard. Harvard is a decent school academically (so I’ve heard) but they had never beaten BC until that game.
Still I like the Eagles in this one. They seem to play big in the bigger games and don’t really mind travelling as demonstrated by their win at North Carolina.
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