No. 24 Wisconsin Badgers vs. USC Trojans: Opponent Preview

The 24th-ranked Wisconsin Badgers are riding the momentum of four straight Big Ten conference victories out to Los Angeles to take on a rising USC Trojans basketball team at the Galen Center. Tip-off on the Big Ten Network is Saturday at 2:00 p.m.

After leading the first half by 17, Wisconsin started to falter down the stretch as Ohio State chipped away at the lead. Despite the Buckeyes’ best efforts, the Badgers survived and squeaked out a 70-68 win at the Kohl Center last Tuesday.

Wisconsin’s free-throw shooting was the difference in the game, as the Badgers converted 25-of-28 free throws in the win. John Tonje, who went 10-for-10 at the free throw line, finished with 17 points and scored nine of the Badgers’ last 12 points in regulation.

What should Badger fans know about USC?

Opponent Preview

Basketball coaching veteran Eric Musselman came to USC last offseason after five seasons at Arkansas and inherited a roster with 11 transfers. The Trojans went through some initial growing pains with a 9-6 record that featured a 36-point outing against Saint Marys in the Acrisure Classic and a 1-3 record in conference play. Now, USC is riding momentum with an impressive victory over no. 13 Illinois in Champaign on January 11th and a 10-point home win over Iowa last Tuesday.

Xavier transfer Desmond Claude has been the star of the Trojan basketball team. Claude was sensational against Fighting Illinois, where he dropped 31 points on 12-of-20 shooting. Coming into this game, Claude is averaging 22 points per game in Big Ten games and is the leader in assists for the Trojans with 4.2 assists per game. The Trojans’ no. 2 scorer, Chibuzo Agbo, is averaging 12.8 points per game and is USC’s best three-point threat amongst its starters. Agbo’s 2.4 three-pointers made per game are fifth in the Big Ten.

Washington transfer Wesley Yates III has started to heat up in scoring for the Trojans. Yates has averaged 16.8 PPG in the last five games and is coming off a 21-point display against Iowa, where he went 4-for-5 from behind the three-point line.

In the frontcourt, 6’ 7” forward Saint Thomas averages 6.2 rebounds, while Michigan transfer Terrace Williams II is second with 4.6 rebounds per game. Williams started six of seven games for the Trojans, but he is out for this game and could miss the remainder of the season with a broken wrist. The tallest player among the starters for USC is 6’ 10” Josh Cohen, who averages 8.3 points, 1.5 assists, and 2.6 rebounds per game.

Score Prediction

We are starting to see the USC team Big Ten fans were thinking about once Musselman took over. This game should go down to the last few minutes with Claude and John Tonje trading buckets. USC is the worst rebounding team in the conference with 32.7 rebounds per game, so I’m picking Wisconsin to get just enough stops to get a big win in Los Angeles.

Prediction: Wisconsin 81-77.