How To Watch
Who: USC Trojans Record: 17-6, 6-6 Big Ten When: Sunday, February 8th, 12:00 p.m. EST Where: Bryce Jordan Center, University Park, PA Kenpom Ranking (PSU): 49 (134) TV: BTN Radio: Penn State Sports Network
Vegas Line: Penn State +3.5 Over/Under: 155.5
What To Watch For
- Health watch
- We are still waiting for the Nittany Lions to get back to full strength. First it was the loss of star freshman Kayden Mingo, then Freddie Dilione went down, followed by Ivan Juric, Sasa Ciani, Tibor Mirtic, and Eli Rice. Mingo has now fully returned, and Dilione had 25 points in the victory over Minnesota. Juric, Ciani, Mirtic and Rice all did not play against Michigan, and will need to be back in action for a chance at a Penn State win.
- Will USC’s top three producers be held in check?
- The Trojans are led by guard Chad Baker-Mazura. the 6’7” senior leads USC with 18 points, four rebounds, and three assists per game. His size will be an advantage against Mingo and Dilione. In the post, an area of inconsistency this season, senior forwarf Ezra Ausar will pose an issue. At a Jamelle Cornley-esq 6’9” and 253 lbs., Ausar is second on the team in scoring (16 points per game) and rebounding (six boards per game, seven per on the road). Finally, 6’10” sophomore Jacob Cofie leads the team in rebounding and averages almost two blocks per contest. All three of these players must be contained in order to secure a positive outcome.
- Can the Nittany Lions win another conference game?
- After the narrow victory over the Gophers, Penn State suffered a thrashing on the road in Ann Arbor, before returning home for today’s game. While today’s matchup doesn’t bode well in terms of a win, the next best shot at a win will be on the road against Oregon on Valentine’s Day.
Prediction
As much as Penn State can put up a fight in this one, USC is too well-rounded, with nearly five players averaging double figures and four players averaging more than four rebounds. The Nittany Lions keep it somewhat competitive, but the Trojans take it.
USC 80, Penn State 72
