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2007 USC Trojans College Basketball Picks and Betting Preview (12-21-2007) |
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Written by JimmyBoyd
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Saturday, 22 December 2007 |
SoCal is selling out of Orange Juice and Miracle Whip with the arrival of O.J. Mayo. Can this sensational frosh lift the Trojans to the big dance? Jimmy has your answer in his 2007 USC Trojans betting preview .
Jimmy picked the Trojans to finish 7th in the preseason and if they do, they will, by far, be the best seventh place finisher in the country. Mayo has already emerged as the go-to guy on this team and Tim Floyd’s slow-down brand of basketball ,with an emphasis on defense, will have USC capable of beating anyone in the country.
USC finished 25-12 last season and emerged to the Sweet 16--one of the better seasons in school history. With three double digit scorers not returning, USC was expected to take a hit, but Tim Floyd has made his team buy into a strict, patient offensive approach to have them ready for another tourney run.
Taj Gibson is the Trojans’ top returning scorer averaging 12.2ppg and 8.7rpg as a freshman. The 6’9’’ forward from Brooklyn should be even more polished this season and won’t have to share the ball as much with the departure of Pruitt, Stewart, and Young.
The most used slogan on the USC campus this year will not be “can you pass the mayo”, but “can you pass it to Mayo”? Mayo can do it all and plays with no fear. Daniel Hackett will be seeing some minutes next to Mayo. He really came on strong in the NCAA Tourney last season.
There is no question that Tim Floyd was the right guy for this USC job. He has revitalized this football-minded school in just two seasons and was there ever a doubt? After all, this guy made Iowa State a team in the Big 12 that could contend with Kansas during his stay there.
It’s going to be difficult for Floyd to match last season’s 25-win effort with the tough schedule that was devised with the thinking that Pruitt and Young would still be around. The NCAA Tourney is more or less a guarantee however, and we can expect the recruits to keep coming with all the national exposure that Mayo will provide for this program.
We expect USC to be a solid against the spread pick in Pac-10 play as the loss of three prominent players will have oddsmakers undervaluing them against the likes of the league’s elite. Tim Floyd’s conservative approach also makes the Trojans a solid Unders play.
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Last Updated ( Saturday, 22 December 2007 )
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