USC will be the underdog again but the No. 3 Baylor Bears will be wary when they face off with a spot in the Sweet Sixteen on the line. Baylor had some trouble early on with New México State in the first round but eventually pulled away for an easy win.
The Bears have the stronger body of work and will certainly be favored in this one, but USC has paid off nicely for those who have backed it thus far and would love another upset.
At 7:45 p.m. ET, tune into TruTV for live television coverage of this NCAA basketball game on Sunday, March 19, 2017, at the BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
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College Basketball Odds
USC is 26-9 straight up and 18-16 against the spread on the season. The Trojans have played in six neutral site games on the season and have covered in three of them, including a 6.5-point spread against the Mustangs in the win. USC has played in 11 games as the underdog on the year and has covered in five of them.
Baylor is 26-7 straight up and 15-15 against the spread. The Bears have played in six neutral site games this season and have covered in four of them, including narrowly in the first round over New México State. The Bears are 11-13 against the spread as the favorite this season.
Player to Watch
Johnathan Motley -- Baylor’s star big man will look to take over this game inside. He is averaging 17.3 points, 9.9 rebounds and 1.0 blocks per game as he has turned into a force down low. He is shooting 51.7 percent on the season and will aim to be efficient against a USC team which has some athletic bigs themselves.
Motley had 15 points, 10 rebounds and a pair of blocks in the opening round and a good job on the glass would be huge for the Bears. Motley has drastically improved his free-throw shooting this season, which is important in case this game is close down the stretch.
Every year games swing on free throws, and when big men can hit consistently it is a boon for their teams.
Key Stat
13. That’s the number of double-digit comebacks by USC this season, which is the most in the NCAA. They were down by that much against both Providence and SMU in March Madness but was able to storm back in both games.
It’s not a spot USC wants to put itself, but the Trojans have shown their resilience on the season. If Baylor gets ahead early on, it can’t coast the rest of the way as USC will scratch and claw to get back into the game.
USC’s upset of SMU was the biggest upset of the tournament to that point, as Cinderellas haven’t really been in high supply this season. The Trojans are a high-major program so they don’t have the same cachet as the smaller schools at this time of year, but there is no denying it keeps coming up big as the underdog.
Free College Basketball ATS Picks
USC has shown great resolve with all of its comebacks, but it’s generally not a good thing to fall that far behind opponents so often. The Trojans’ nice run in the Big Dance will come to an end in this one.
Baylor has more talent and should be able to play good enough defense to keep USC from getting a bunch of easy looks. As long as the Bears don’t go cold from the field, they are the team to beat in this matchup and will come away victorious.
College Basketball Odds: Baylor 75, USC 67
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