Pac-12 Tournament: USC Trojans vs Colorado Buffaloes prediction and college basketball game preview.
USC vs Colorado Broadcast
Date: Friday, March 13
Game Time: 11:30 pm ET
Venue: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, NV
Network: ESPN
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USC (22-6) vs Colorado (21-7) Game Preview
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Why Colorado Will Win
Does USC have any legs left?
It had to fight through a double-overtime thrilling over Utah, winning 91-85 with plenty of big runs and a whole lot of emotion and energy on both ends to get by.
Enter Colorado, who’s able to play a fast style when it needs to, but its better at clamping down defensively and getting nasty and tough on the boards at both ends. That came through in the 80-62 win over the Trojans a few weeks ago, and also in a ten-point win in late December.
The Buffs got pushed way too hard by a bad Cal team in a 61-58 win in the Pac-12 Tournament quarterfinals, but when the defense had to come through, it did.
However …
Why USC Will Win
Colorado couldn’t make a thing from three against the Bears and it struggled from the field.
The Buffs didn’t have to expend the same sort of energy or fight, but it wasn’t able to rest for a moment in a game that should’ve been far more relaxing and fun.
Yes, Colorado was able to win in the first two meetings with its offense, and it’s not like the Utah win was a defensive slugfest, but the Trojans have the D, they have the ability make big things happen on the board, and they generally do both things better than Colorado. But …
What’s Going To Happen
Something is missing.
USC should be a whole lot stronger considering its defensive chops and its ability to lock down and force teams to go dead cold for long stretches. However, the scoring punch isn’t there on a regular basis, and teams are doing too well from three lately to shoot over this D.
Colorado might not have been great against Cal, but it’s got the ability to play the type of defensive low-scoring games that USC thrives in.
Be shocked if this isn’t close and stunned if it doesn’t come down to the final 90 seconds. Colorado leads the nation in free throw percentage, and USC is one of the worst teams in the country at the line.
USC vs Colorado Prediction, Line
Colorado 67, USC 64
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Line: COMING, o/u: COMING
ATS Confidence out of 5: COMING
Must See Rating: 3.5
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