NCAA Tournament: USC vs Miami 3/18/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

The USC Trojans and Miami Hurricanes clash Friday at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena in the first round of the college basketball NCAA Tournament.

The 10-seed Miami Hurricanes finished their regular season with an overall record of 23-10 and punched their ticket to the NCAA Tournament after earning an at-large bid. Miami earned the 4-seed in the ACC Championship and defeated the Boston College Eagles and the Quarterfinals before falling to the 1-seed Duke Blue Devils in a competitive 80-76 game in the Semifinals. Miami has outstanding in their non-conference schedule which included wins against North Texas & Penn State and picked up plenty of signature wins in ACC play led by victories over Duke, Virginia Tech, & North Carolina.

On the season, Miami is averaging 74.8 ppg on 47.8% shooting from the field. The Hurricanes are averaging 7.3 three-pointers per game on 35.3% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Miami has been led by Kameron McGusty (17.6 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 2.5 apg, 1.7 spg), Isaiah Wong (15.2 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 2.0 apg), Charlie Moore (12.6 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 4.5 apg, 2.0 spg), Jordan Miller (10.2 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 1.1 apg, 1.8 spg), & Sam Waardenburg (8.6 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 2.1 apg, 1.2 bpg).

Defensively, Miami is allowing their opponents to average 71.0 ppg on 46.6% shooting from the field. The Hurricanes have a rebound margin of -4.1 and a turnover margin of 4.2.

The 7-seed USC Trojans finished their regular season with an overall record of 26-7 and earned their trip to the NCAA Tournament with an at-large bit. USC earned the 3-seed in the Pac-12 Tournament with a 14-6 conference record and defeated the Washington Huskies before falling to the 2-seed UCLA Bruins by a 69-59 margin in the Semifinals. USC was outstanding starting off the season, winning their first 13 games which included wins over San Diego State & Temple, however, despite picking up a nice win over UCLA at home in the regular season, the Trojans struggled a bit down the stretch and come into this game losing 3 of their last 4 games.

On the season, USC is averaging 72.6 ppg on 45.4% shooting from the field. The Trojans are averaging 6.7 three-pointers per game on 35.4% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, USC has been led by Isaiah Mobley (14.3 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 3.2 apg), Boogie Ellis (12.8 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 2.5 apg), Drew Peterson (12.3 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 3.3 apg), & Chevez Goodwin (11.0 ppg, 6.5 rpg).

Defensively, USC is holding their opponents to an average of 65.9 ppg on 38.9% shooting from the field. The Trojans have a rebound margin of 6.2 and a turnover margin of -2.0.

The Hurricanes are 3-0-1 ATS in their last 4 Friday games & 7-1 ATS in their last 8 games following a straight up loss. The Trojans are 7-1 ATS in their last 8 NCAA Tournament games, however, are 0-8 ATS in their last 8 games as a favorite.

Miami has been led by their offense which ranks 76^th in scoring offense, 23^rd in FG%, & 93^rd in 3P-FG%, however, the Hurricanes defense struggled at times and comes into this matchup ranked 227^th in scoring defense & 327^th in defensive FG%. USC has been solid on both ends of the court this season as the Trojans come into this game ranked 138^th in scoring offense, 77^th in scoring defense, & 12^th in defensive FG%.

USC has had a solid season, however, I’m just not solid on the Trojans this season as this is a team that is averaging just 66.6 ppg over their last 5 games. Miami can struggle defensively, however, they have an explosive offense and as I think the Hurricanes are the more balanced team, I’m taking Miami and the points. Good Luck!