NIT No. 1 USC vs No. 4 Western Kentucky Preview: Odds, Predictions, TV, Starting Lineups 3/19/18

Southern California Game Summary

USC won their last game against North Carolina-Asheville, 103-98 on Tuesday, March 13th. USC's Jordan McLaughlin led his team to a win with a team-high 26 points. He went 10 for 22 from the field, shooting 45.5%. In 47 minutes, Jordan collected 26 points, 3 rebounds, 13 assists, 1 steal and 4 threes with 6 turnovers. Although North Carolina-Asheville was defeated, Jonathan Baehre fought to keep his team in the game with 28 points, shooting 64.7% from the field (making 11 of 17 attempts). In 42 minutes, he added 28 points, 14 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 5 blocks and 4 threes with 2 turnovers.

Western Ky. Game Summary

Western Kentucky won their last game against Boston College, 79-62 on Tuesday, March 13th. Justin Johnson (Western Kentucky) scored a team-high 19 points for the winning team, making 8 of 12 attempts from the field for a 66.7% field goal percentage. In 37 minutes, he collected 19 points, 12 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 blocks and 1 three with 0 turnovers. Ky Bowman led Boston College's team in scoring with 18 points, while shooting 6 of 17 (35.3%) from the field. In 38 minutes, Bowman added to his stat line, 18 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 three with 5 turnovers.

Prediction

USC barely survived UNC-Asheville without Chimezie Metu, who's sitting the tournament to prepare for the NBA. I think WKU will be too much for USC without Metu.

WKU: 82
USC: 77

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