Tip off: 10 PM EST
Spread: USC -6
Total: 104.5
M/L: USC -260, GA +220
Odds taken from Bookmaker
GEORGIA
Things started out nice for the Bulldogs. They won 4 of their first 5 games, though they were drubbed by then 18th ranked Cal, losing by 24 and failing to score 50 points. They rebounded to beat Notre Dame by 4, but since have dropped four straight contests (#12 Xavier, Colorado, Cincy, Ga Tech). While all four of those opponents range from decent to very good, the Bulldogs were blown out by Xavier and Georgia Tech, and marginally close (6 pts) vs. Cincy, and the only game they could have legitimately won was against Colorado.
In that game, the Bulldogs missed their first 11 shots of the second half and Colorado took a 6 point lead with about 16 minutes left. The Bulldogs never lead again, but rallied to within 3 with 4.5 seconds to go, but Askia Booker missed a free throw and it cost them the game. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope put up 15 points in that game on 6 of 17 shooting and he is averaging 13.4 points per game this year as a freshman playing nearly 30 minutes a game. He has scored in double figures in every Georgia game.
Other than Caldwell-Pope, Gerald Robinson is makning a big difference as well, scoring 12.6 points per game on 44.7% shooting from the field and 41.2% (7 of 17) from three. He scored 20 in the last game, the loss to Georgia Tech, going 7 of 15 from the floor in 30 minutes of play.
If Canldwell-Pope and Robinson can come out to play and both have one of their better games, it could give Georgia a legit chance at winning this game, nevermind covering the spread, which I feel is a great bet at any rate.
USC
The Trojans have stumbled out of the gate to a 4-6 record, but the problem is that they rank near the bottom in all major statistical categories. They are only getting 8.5 assists per game which ranks them 341st of 344 D-1 programs. Indeed, it doesn’t get much worse than that. They don’t have a single player even averaging 2 assists per game.
Maurice Jones and Aaron Fuller are really the only two Trojans worth speaking of. The duo combines for 26.8 points, which is rougly half of USC’s scoring. Jones, a waterbug 5’7″ sophomore point guard has had some big games. He put up 28 points on 9 of 15 shooting in the win over South Carolina on November 26th. It would be nice to see the point guard average a few assists, but the lack of fluidity in the offense and teammates missing easy shots is partly to blame for his lack of distribution; the team is shooting 42.2% from the floor.
Fuller, a 6’6″ junior, started off the year great, scoring in double figures in the first six Trojans’ games. Since then, however, he has failed to score in double figures in any of the last four games and is shooting 34% from the floor over that stretch.
The Trojans’ lack of offensive prowess combined with the development of Caldwell-Pope is why I am placing a money line on Georgia in this game. If you like that analysis, or even if you disagree, a great place to back it up would be Bookmaker, where these odds came from. They offer a 5% return on lost bets and a great cashout system. Also, check out our paid pick plans here at Maddux as we slaughter the books and make everyone rich again!
