Southern California @ Colorado preview

Southern California at Colorado

Last Meeting ( Feb 1, 2020 ) Colorado 78, Southern California 57

USC and No. 17 Colorado are part of the logjam atop the Pac-12 standings as six teams are within one game of the conference lead with three weeks remaining in the regular season. The Trojans and Buffaloes also go head-to-head Thursday night as they close out their season series with a matchup in Boulder.

Colorado cruised to a 78-57 road win in the first meeting Feb. 1 and needs another victory Thursday to keep pace atop the Pac-12 standings. The Buffs and No. 16 Oregon enter the week tied for the conference lead at 9-4 – a half-game ahead of No. 21 Arizona and surging Arizona State, which has won five straight. This will be the final homestand, though, of the season for Colorado, which closes with its final three contests on the road. USC and rival UCLA are another half-game back of the Arizona schools at 8-5 in the conference, and the Trojans will have the benefit of wrapping up the regular season with a trio of home games as they try to at least lock in a top-four finish and a corresponding first-round bye in next month’s Pac-12 Tournament in Las Vegas.

TIME: 9 p.m. ET. TV: ESPN2

ABOUT USC (19-7, 8-5 Pac-12): The Trojans are coming off a home sweep of the Washington schools, and did so without leading scorer Onyeka Okongwu, who was recovering from a concussion suffered Feb. 8 at Arizona State. The 6-9 freshman is averaging a team-best 16.4 points and 8.9 rebounds per game while shooting 60.9 percent from the field, and his status remains questionable heading into the two-game Rocky Mountain road swing. Senior guard Daniel Utomi stepped up with a season-high 23 points in last Saturday’s 70-51 win over Washington State, and guard Jonah Mathews (12.8 points) and forward Nick Rakocevic (11.2 points, 8.7 rebounds) also are capable offensive threats if Okongwu misses more time.

ABOUT COLORADO (20-6, 9-4): Forward Tyler Bey, averaging 13.5 points and a Pac-12-leading 9.3 rebounds, bounced back from a season-low four points in last Thursday’s 68-60 loss at Oregon with his 10th double-double of the year, posting 21 points and 15 rebounds in Saturday night’s 69-47 romp at Oregon State. Point guard McKinley Wright is averaging a team-best 13.6 points and 5.2 assists and has either made or assisted on 42 percent of the Buffs’ field goals over the last three games. Guard D’Shawn Schwartz (10.8 points) also is averaging double figures but likely will be playing with a protective mask this week after taking a blow to face and injuring his nose last weekend.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Colorado has won 10 of 14 meetings against USC since joining the Pac-12 in 2011, including three straight.

2. Bey, Wright, Schwartz and F Lucas Siewert combined for 52 of Colorado’s 78 points in the first meeting as the Buffs shot 51.9 percent from the field while Isaiah Mobley had 12 points off the bench to pace the Trojans.

3. USC is expected to be without reserve G Kyle Sturdivant for the second straight week following the death of his father.

PREDICTION: Colorado 74, USC 66