The Tulane Green Wave and the USC Trojans meet Tuesday in college basketball action in the College Basketball Crown Tournament from MGM Arena. Here’s a USC vs Tulane prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best USC vs Tulane pick.
Tulane Green Wave Betting Preview
The Wave got off to a fairly rocky start this year, but they were able to right the ship well enough to get far past the .500 mark again. Tulane opened at a rough 5-7 though, before taking out Dillard, Charlotte, UTSA, South Florida, FAU and Rice over the next eight games. The Green Wave would lose to Memphis, then beat Tulsa, UTSA, Rice, East Carolina, Charlotte and Tulsa over another eight-game span. After a loss to East Carolina and a win over UAB to finish out the regular season, the Wave beat FAU in the conference tournament before a loss to Memphis in their latest outing. That gives Tulane a 19-14 overall record so far this year.
In the American Athletic Conference Championship tournament matchup versus Memphis back on March 15, the Green Wave were within seven points at the break. Tulane surged on a 45-39 run in the second half but ended up taking a tough loss in the end 78-77. Leading the team in scoring during the defeat was Rowan Brumbaugh with 22 points, five rebounds and three steals. Asher Woods added 15 points with six rebounds and five assists, while Kam Williams had 16 points, eight boards and two assists. Tops off the bench was Mari Jordan with 10 points and three boards in 16 minutes of work during the defeat.
USC Trojans Betting Preview
Over on the USC side, they showed some flashes of greater things this season but couldn’t work their way through a tough Big Ten schedule very well. The Trojans were 9-4 in their first 13 games, then took losses to Michigan, Indiana, Wisconsin, UCLA, Northwestern and Purdue over the next 10 games. USC would finish the regular season on a rough 2-6 skid, taking losses to Minnesota, Maryland, Rutgers, Ohio State, Oregon and UCLA in that time. The Trojans beat Rutgers in double-overtime during their first Big Ten Tournament game, then took a loss to Purdue for a 16-17 overall record so far through 33 games this year.
Matched up against Purdue in the second round of the conference tournament, the Trojans held a 35-35 tie at the break. USC was outpaced 41-36 the rest of the way however, giving the team a 76-71 loss in the end. Leading the way was Desmond Claude with 18 points, three rebounds and two assists. Wesley Yates added 13 points with seven boards and three assists, while Rashaun Agee chipped in with 11 points, seven rebounds and two assists.
Why the USC Trojans will win
- Tulane has lost each of its last four games against non-Conference opponents at neutral venues.
- USC has won 24 of its last 30 night games against non-Conference opponents.
- Tulane has lost the first half in five of its last six games against non-Conference opponents at neutral venues.
Why the Tulane Green Wave will win
- USC has lost each of its last four games against non-Conference opponents at neutral venues.
- Tulane has won four of its last five games against non-AP-ranked opponents.
- USC has lost the first half in each of its last three games against non-Conference opponents at neutral venues.
Total Points Facts
- Each of USC’s last 12 Tuesday games against non-Conference opponents have produced a total of 151 or fewer points.
- Each of Tulane’s last six games against non-Conference opponents have produced a total of 155 or fewer points.
Matchup/League Facts
- USC ranks 28th among Division 1 teams for field goal percentage this season (48.2%).
- USC ranks 44th among Division 1 teams for true shooting percentage this season (58.7%).
- Tulane ranks 34th among Division 1 teams for opponent field goal percentage this season (40.7%).
- Tulane ranks T36th among Division 1 teams for blocks per game this season (4.6).
USC vs Tulane Prediction
I’m going to take a stab on Tulane. The Green Wave pushed a good Memphis team to their limit in the semifinal of the AAC championship tournament, eventually shooting a nice 45 percent from the field and 31 percent (9-of-29) from outside. Tulane was outpaced on the boards 47-34 though, and had 12 turnovers for 13 Tigers points. It’s been a good scoring run lately for the Green Wave; they’ve hit 77 or more points in five of the last six games (a 4-2 stretch).
As for USC, they didn’t shoot terribly (43.5 percent) in their last game versus Purdue, and they were pretty competitive on the boards. The 10 turnovers for 12 Boilermakers points didn’t help though, nor did the 47.3 percent shooting allowed during the five-point defeat. It’s tough telling what we’re going to get out of the Trojans on a game-by-game basis; they’ve been below 64 points in two of the last five games and above 92 in two others (with a 2OT game mixed in there). USC could potentially control this one, but I like Tulane a little better.