Oregon vs USC: 2021 NCAA Tournament game preview, TV schedule, odds

The Pac-12 is guaranteed to have at least one team in the Elite 8. Will it be the Oregon Ducks or USC Trojans as they take each other head-on?

TV schedule: Sunday, March 28th, 9:45 pm ET. TBS

Arena: Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana

Odds (via Odds Shark): USC (-2.5)

Although geography doesn’t really matter, it’s notable that three of the four remaining teams in the West Region all being from the west coast. One is the No. 1 overall seed Gonzaga Bulldogs, who are taking on the 5 seed Creighton Bluejays. The other semifinal matchup is USC and Oregon, a pair of Pac-12 programs who had arguably the two most dominant Round of 32 victories in this tournament.

After automatically advancing to the Round of 32 after VCU had to pull off due to covid issues, Oregon took on Luka Garza and the Iowa Hawkeyes. It looked as if the game would end up being a high-scoring close one but in the end, the Ducks dominated for 40 minutes in a 95-80 win.

Four Oregon players had at least 17 points, led by 23 points from Chris Duarte and 21 from LJ Figueroa. Both Eugene Omoruyi and Will Richardson had box scores of at least 17 points, five rebounds, and five assists in the blowout.

USC looked as if they were going to score just as much as against Kansas last week. After a slow start from both sides, Isaiah and Evan Mobley went off from inside. Isaiah hit a career-high four three-pointers to lead the way, as he and his brother combined to produce 27 points and 21 rebounds as the Trojans defeated the Jayhawks, 85-51. Three other players reached double figures, including 13 from Isaiah White.

The Pac-12 has been the biggest positive surprise of the NCAA Tournament so far, with four of the five teams still left in the Sweet 16. Two of them are USC and Oregon, who each had to deal with various pauses and injuries throughout the season, which affected their overall seeding. After what happened in the Round of 32, both of these programs have everyone’s attention.

The Ducks and Trojans met once in the regular season, with USC winning, 72-58. Eric Williams Jr. and LJ Figueroa each had 14 points, while Evan Mobley just had 14; Isaiah Mobley didn’t play. This time around, both teams are as healthy as they’re going to be and playing at a great level.

USC has the better frontcourt and defense, while Oregon possesses better guard play on the outside and overall offense. If the Mobleys don’t perform at a high level in this game, it’ll be difficult to see them winning. I predict they’ll do well, but the Ducks guards will do a bit better to get the win.

Prediction: Oregon 70, USC 60