Elite 8 Picks: Gonzaga vs USC 3/30/21 College Basketball Picks, Odds, and Predictions

The Gonzaga Bulldogs face the USC Trojans Tuesday in the college basketball NCAA Tournament Elite Eight at the Lucas Oil Stadium with the winner going to the Final Four.

The USC Trojans are coming off a win over Oregon, and they look for their first Final Four appearance since 1954. The USC Trojans are averaging 74.3 points on 46.5 percent shooting and allowing 64.1 points on 39.1 percent shooting. Evan Mobley is averaging 16.8 points and 8.7 rebounds while Tahj Eaddy is averaging 13.5 points and 2.8 assists. Drew Peterson is the third double-digit scorer and Isaiah Mobley is dishing 1.5 assists. The USC Trojans are shooting 34.3 percent from beyond the arc and 64.4 percent from the free throw line. The USC Trojans are allowing 33.6 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 36.5 rebounds per game.

The Gonzaga Bulldogs are coming off a win over Creighton, and they look for their second Final Four trip in school history and first since 2017. The Gonzaga Bulldogs are averaging 92.9 points on 55.3 percent shooting and allowing 69.3 points on 41.9 percent shooting. Corey Kispert is averaging 20.6 points and two assists while Drew Timme is averaging 18.5 points and 6.9 rebounds. Jalen Suggs is the third double-digit scorer and Joel Ayayi is grabbing 7.5 rebounds. The Gonzaga Bulldogs are shooting 36.1 percent from beyond the arc and 73.2 percent from the free throw line. The Gonzaga Bulldogs are allowing 33 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 35.5 rebounds per game.

The Trojans are 9-4 ATS in their last 13 games as an underdog and 19-8 ATS in their last 27 neutral site games. The Bulldogs are 16-7 ATS in their last 23 Tuesday games and 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games overall. The over is 3-1-1 in Trojans last 5 overall. The over is 39-17 in Bulldogs last 56 overall.

There’s really nothing that has stepped in the way of the Gonzaga Bulldogs this season and it’s to the point where you just want to back them given how easy they’ve made things look at times. However, the USC Trojans have kind of flown under the radar this season and are hitting their stride now where it looks like the offense is starting to catch up to the defense. While everybody is talking about Gonzaga and the nations best offense, USC finished the season ranked 11th in field goal percentage defense and 38th in points allowed per game. USC just held a good Oregon team to 68 points on 37.7 percent shooting. Before that, Kansas and Drake were held to a combined 107 points. In a battle between an elite offense and elite defense, it’s the defense that usually prevails.

Not saying USC wins this game outright, but this could be an intriguing contest that comes down to the wire. Give me the points.