Idaho State Bengals vs. Southern California Trojans Pick & Prediction NOVEMBER 7th 2024

Preview and Prediction

Coming off a successful season opener, Southern California is preparing to face off against Idaho State on Thursday in Los Angeles.

The Trojans (1-0) started their first season under coach Eric Musselman with a dominant 77-51 win over Chattanooga. With a mostly new roster, nine players scored at least three points and seven players scored at least eight points. Chibuzo Agbo led the team with 14 points.

Matt Knowling, who scored 13 points on a perfect 6-of-6 shooting, praised the team's depth, saying that they have trust in all 16 players on the roster.

Agbo was one of six Trojans to record multiple assists, as the team had 21 assists on 32 field goals. Musselman was proud of the assist numbers, especially considering the new lineup that was put together quickly.

Idaho State (0-1) is coming off a 55-48 loss to Arizona State on Tuesday. Three players scored in double figures for the Bengals, led by Isaiah Griffin with 12 points. Jake O'Neil also had a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds.

However, Idaho State struggled with their shooting, only making 25.4 percent of their shots and going 4-of-28 from the 3-point line.

Despite their shooting struggles, the Bengals played strong defense in the second half, holding Arizona State to just 8-of-30 shooting and 1-of-12 from 3-point range. They were able to cut a 13-point deficit to just one point before ultimately falling to the Sun Devils.

One key player for Idaho State will be veteran guard AJ Burgin, who will need to play a big role if they hope to upset the 23-point favorite USC. Coach Ryan Looney has praised Burgin's defense and is looking for him to continue to improve offensively.

"If you look at his statistics, he's becoming a more efficient offensive player for us," Looney said. "This is probably the most comfortable he's felt with his role in a long time."

PREDICTION

Idaho State Bengals

Southern California Trojans