Indiana basketball to take on USC in Bloomington. Read more for a full Indiana vs USC prediction and preview.
The Indiana Hoosiers will face USC in Assembly Hall in a highly anticipated conference match up. This will be the first time these teams see each other since USC became a part of the Big Ten conference. The two schools have a very interesting history when it comes to men’s basketball as the last time they played each other was on Mar. 18, 1974 with a final score of 85-60 and Indiana coming out on top. The record in this series is 2-2 so the tie breaker game taking place on Wednesday night has been a long time coming.
General Information:
Teams: Indiana (12-3, 3-1) and USC (9-5, 1-2)
Tip time: 7 p.m. EST
Watch: Big Ten Network
Listen: The Varsity Network
Latest on USC basketball:
USC’s most recent game was a loss to Michigan with a final score of 85-74. In this game, the two leading scorers for USC were Wesley Yates III and Desmond Claude, both with 19 points. Claude also provided seven rebounds and four assists. The junior guard is in his first season with USC after two seasons at Xavier. He is currently USC’s leading scorer averaging 14.9 points as well as 3.9 rebounds a game. USC’s other conference loss was against Oregon with a final score of 68-60 where Claude led the way once again with 22 points. Their only conference win so far has been against Washington with a final score of 85-61.
USC is led by head coach Eric Musselman. Musselman is in his first season as head coach for USC and was named to this position in Apr. of 2024. He has a lot of history and success as a head coach in both collegiate and professional positions.
Latest on Indiana basketball:
Indiana is coming off of a huge road win against Penn State this past Sunday where they beat the Nittany Lions 77-71. From the start this was a very intense game that went into the second half tied. However, Indiana managed to pull away at the end of the game and come out on top. Oumar Ballo had an incredible performance posting 25 points, 13 rebounds, and 3 assists for the Hoosiers. Mackenzie Mgbako also had a standout game with 20 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists. Once again, Trey Galloway proved that even if he is not providing points for the Hoosiers, he is vital to their offense, acting as a facilitator and getting the ball to where it needs to go. Galloway’s ability to read the defense led him to finish the game with eight points, three rebounds, and an essential six assists. Something that was interesting to watch about this game was Penn State’s ability to shut down guard Myles Rice. Rice tends to be a huge asset to Indiana’s offense, but he had a quiet game against PSU, finishing with nine points.
Indiana vs USC Prediction: Hoosiers by 12
It is hard to compare these two teams as their conference schedules share no similarities so far. However, in an interview following Indiana’s last home game against Rutgers on Jan. 2, head coach Mike Woodson explained the importance of protecting home. Indiana basketball is on a roll and the squad has some significant momentum going into the game against USC. Fans can expect a great performance from this team on Wednesday and an exciting night in Assembly Hall.