TCU Horned Frogs (7-3) vs. USC Trojans (4-7) CBB Free Pick

TCU Horned Frogs (7-3) vs USC Trojans (4-7)

It is too bad this contest is not on the gridiron because I would like to have seen that.  TCU has no real pedigree when it come to hoops and even though they have a solid record so far they haven’t beaten anybody and have a loss to Norfolk State.

Monday December 19
Galen Center – Los Angeles, CA
10:30PM
Moneyline:
Spread: USC -7
O/U:  118

TCU

The one thing they can say is that they don’t get nervous down the stretch.  All of their wins except one has been by less than 10 points.  They have good point guard play and know how to close out games.

That good point guard is Hank Thorns, who started his career in the ACC at Virginia Tech.  He is only 5’9” but he can control the game for TCU which is critical at times.  So far this year his scoring is up and his assists are down.  He might be trying to do too much but you can hardly blame him because he doesn’t get a lot of help out there.  

The closest thing he has to a running mate is J.R Cadot, a 6’5” athlete who has shown good growth to his game as a soph. [soliloquy id=”82219″]

USC

You would think because they are based in L.A. that the Trojans would play a pretty brand of basketball but you couldn’t be more wrong.  Ever since Kevin O’Neill took over, and with limited scholarship athletes, USC has been playing a grind it out, defensive kind of game.  

It is all and sometimes only about defense with this club and if you are not ready for it can be quite intimidating.  Their record may not be great right now but USC is almost always in the game.

That is mostly because of the defense and the omni-presence of guard Maurice Jones.  The 5’7” dynamo plays pretty much the whole game every time out.  He is their leading scorer at 14.4ppg and an important cog in their defense.  This team contests every shot and refuses to back down even though they are often outmanned.  

All you have to do is look at the spread to see that this is not an ordinary 4-7 club.

Spread Pick:  USC
O/U Pick: Under
Score Prediction:  USC 60 – TCU 50