USC and Villanova play in CBC matchup

Villanova Wildcats (20-14, 12-10 Big East) vs. USC Trojans (17-17, 8-14 Big Ten)

Las Vegas; Thursday, 9:30 p.m. EDT

BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Wildcats -5.5; over/under is 152.5

BOTTOM LINE: USC and Villanova meet in the College Basketball Crown.

The Trojans are 8-14 against Big Ten opponents and 9-3 in non-conference play. USC has a 1-2 record in games decided by less than 4 points.

The Wildcats are 12-10 against Big East opponents. Villanova is 3-4 in games decided by less than 4 points.

USC's average of 7.2 made 3-pointers per game is 1.5 fewer made shots on average than the 8.7 per game Villanova gives up. Villanova has shot at a 46.4% clip from the field this season, 0.7 percentage points greater than the 45.7% shooting opponents of USC have averaged.

TOP PERFORMERS: Desmond Claude is averaging 16 points and 4.3 assists for the Trojans. Wesley Yates III is averaging 16.4 points over the last 10 games.

Eric Dixon is shooting 42.0% from beyond the arc with 2.9 made 3-pointers per game for the Wildcats, while averaging 23 points and 5.1 rebounds. Wooga Poplar is averaging 15.6 points, 7.9 rebounds and 1.5 steals over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Trojans: 3-7, averaging 77.7 points, 29.5 rebounds, 15.4 assists, 7.1 steals and 3.7 blocks per game while shooting 49.1% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 79.7 points per game.

Wildcats: 6-4, averaging 69.5 points, 28.1 rebounds, 11.0 assists, 5.6 steals and 2.0 blocks per game while shooting 44.8% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 66.9 points.

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.