TCU meets USC in the College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic. Will the Trojans be able to defend their home city with a win?
TV schedule: Friday, December 7, 9:30 p.m. ET. ESPN
Arena: Staples Center in Los Angeles, California
The TCU Horned Frogs and USC Trojans entered the 2018-19 College Basketball season in completely different directions.
TCU was a consensus top-25 team, returning everyone except for Kenrich Williams and Vladimir Brodziansky, and an expected challenger for the Big 12 title.
USC was snubbed from the 2018 NCAA Tournament, and has lost three of their top scorers. While the Trojans sit at 5-3, there is plenty of intrigue in this USC squad.
The Horned Frogs, although possessing a 6-1 record, have fallen out of the top-25 after losing to Lipscomb in November. Injuries were a major concern for TCU during the first month of the season, but now Jaylen Fisher and Kouat Noi, two of TCU’s top shooters, have returned from their knee injuries.
Carrying the load in Fisher and Noi’s absence were Desmond Bane and Alex Robinson, a pair of stellar guards. Robinson leads all of Division-1 basketball with 9.5 assists per game, while Bane is TCU’s leading scorer, averaging 15.3 points per game.
For USC, its been a mix between veteran stability and freshman production through their first eight games. Junior forward Nick Rakocevic is the Trojan’s leading scorer (15.3) and rebounder (11.8). Freshman guard Kevin Porter Jr. has gotten plenty of attention from NBA scouts as a potential first round pick, as the Seattle native is averaging 11.7 points per game.
Of USC’s three losses, two have come against undefeated teams, with the Trojans falling to both #6 Nevada and #13 Texas Tech. USC lacks a solid win, as all of their wins have come against mid-major teams, while TCU has one, defeating SMU in Dallas on Wednesday.
This game is going to be all about offense. Two high-octane, energetic scoring teams, both USC and TCU are expected to shoot the lights out on Friday night. The outcome of the game will come down to which team can get bigs stops late in the second half.
The impact of Fisher, who is playing in just his fifth game of the season, will be crucial for the Horned Frogs. Fisher has shot 48% from three in his first four games, and will certainly need to produce much of the same in what should be a competitive game.
Ever since their loss to Lipscomb, TCU has really cleaned up their production on offense. Jamie Dixon’s Frogs are passing much more efficiently, and have shot at a high percentage from the field, especially from three. USC hasn’t shown any ability to win against fellow major conference teams, and they’ll have a hard time keeping up with the sharp shooting of TCU’s guards.
Prediction: TCU 85, USC 78