NCAA Basketball Odds: USC Out Of Pac-12 Race

UCLA leads the Pac-12 with a 10-2 record and is the clear favorite to win the regular season title, but rival USC still has a shot with a 9-3 mark in the league and having split two games with the Bruins. However, Southern Cal’s title chances will end with a loss at Oregon on Thursday. Here’s a look at that and one other big game Thursday.

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USC at Oregon (-4)

When: Thursday
Where: Gill Coliseum, Corvallis

Time: 9:00 PM EST
TV: ESPN 2

Tip at 11 p.m. ET on ESPN2 from the Pac-12. It’s the only scheduled meeting between the schools, although obviously a Pac-12 Tournament matchup is possible.

The Trojans (17-6) come off their fourth straight win, 80-74 over Washington on Saturday. Tre White and Kobe Johnson each recorded career highs in points with 22 and 21, respectively, as USC won its 12th straight game at home. White shot 10-of-16 from the field and recorded eight rebounds and four assists. Johnson was 5-of-7 from the field while dishing five assists, nabbing four steals and grabbing three rebounds.

USC scored 80 or more points in back-to-back games for the first time since scoring 83 vs. Mount St. Mary’s on Nov. 18 and 82 vs. BYU on Nov 23. Southern Cal is 12-1 in games it scores 70 or more points this season. Since the start of the 2019 season, USC is 65-7 when it scores 70 or more points in a game.

The win gave USC head coach Andy Enfield his 200th career win. Enfield, who is in his 10th season with the Trojans, ranks fourth on USC’s all-time wins list, trailing only Sam Barry (260), Forrest Twogood (251) and Bob Boyd (216).

White was selected as the Pac-12 Men’s Basketball Freshman of the Week for last week. He has averaged 10.0 points and 5.0 rebounds through 23 games, making 20 starts. He ranks second in rebounding and third in scoring among the 2022-23 Trojans. White also ranks second among Pac-12 freshmen this season in both scoring and rebounding.

Oregon (14-10) is on the NCAA Tournament bubble but comes off an impressive 75-70 win at Arizona State on Saturday. The Ducks avenged a loss to ASU in Eugene on Jan. 12, and moved into a tie for fourth place in the Pac-12. N’Faly Dante led the Ducks with 18 points, including two buckets after ASU had cut Oregon’s lead to one, at 67-66 and 69-68. Keeshawn Barthelemy added 15 points and Will Richardson scored 14, with each hitting a trio of three-pointers. Richardson’s three assists gave him 464 in his career, sixth in UO history behind Aaron Brooks (471, 2003-07).

USC and Oregon split the season series last year with both teams winning on the other’s court. The Trojans have won 7 of the last 10 meetings with Oregon. USC leads the all-time series with Oregon 67-59.

San Francisco at No. 16 Gonzaga (-14.5)

When: Thursday
Where: McCarthey Athletic Center, Spokane

Time: 9:00 PM EST
TV: ESPN 2

This game from the West Coast Conference tips at 9 PM ET on ESPN2. The Zags are two games behind first-place Saint Mary’s in the league so a loss here all but ends Gonzaga’s regular-season title hopes.

On Jan. 5, Gonzaga escaped with a 77-75 win at San Francisco. Rasir Bolton scored on a follow shot with 7 seconds left to give the Zags their first lead since the opening minutes. Gonzaga trailed nearly the entire way before Bolton rebounded a miss by Drew Timme and scored to break a 75-all tie. Bolton was fouled on the play but missed the free throw, giving the Dons one last chance. But Khalil Shabazz mishandled his dribble and never got a shot off as San Francisco fell just short of ending a 24-game losing streak against the Bulldogs.

Gonzaga comes off a 78-70 OT loss at Saint Mary’s on Saturday. Drew Timme moved past Jim McPhee (2,015 points) for second place on Gonzaga’s career scoring list with 2,031 points. He again came up in key spots for the Bulldogs and still has a shot to break Frank Burgess’ school record of 2,196 points.

The Gaels have been the only team really to challenge the Bulldogs in the WCC for more than the past decade, with their 10 wins against Gonzaga since the start of the 2009-10 season more than triple the second-best team.

Gonzaga’s Julian Strawther was named one of the 10 candidates for the 2023 Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award. Strawther is the Zags’ second leading scorer averaging 14.4 points per game, which ranks 14th in the West Coast Conference. He’s shooting 47.6 percent from the field. The junior has made 52 three-pointers at 41.9 percent from behind-the-arc, which are 10th and eighth in the WCC.

Gonzaga leads the country shooting 52.0 percent from the field and averaging 85.7 points per game. The Zags are also first in effective field goal percentage (.582).

San Francisco (15-11) lost its second game in a row Saturday, 84-70 at home to Santa Clara. Shabazz finished with a game-high 29 points for USF, which also marked a new season-high and his fourth 30+ point performance on the Hilltop. Overall, the sharpshooting guard knocked down 6-of-13 from beyond-the-arc and 9-of-11 from the free throw line while also adding eight rebounds, three steals and one block.

This is the 92nd all-time meeting between Gonzaga and San Francisco. GU has a 69-22 advantage in the series. GU is 48-4 against San Francisco under Mark Few. The Bulldogs are 38-2 against USF in Spokane all-time. The Dons last won in Spokane on Feb. 10, 1989, 67-64.