Southern California @ Colorado preview

Southern California at Colorado

Last Meeting ( Feb 9, 2019 ) Colorado 69, Southern California 65

Two Pac-12 teams trending in opposite directions meet Saturday afternoon as Colorado hosts USC. The surging Buffaloes have won seven of their last nine games and are tied for fourth place in the conference entering the regular-season finale while the tumbling Trojans have dropped six of their last eight and have fallen into a tie for eighth place in the Pac-12.

Colorado needs a win and the right combination of results elsewhere in the conference – namely an Oregon State loss at Washington State or a Utah loss to visiting UCLA – to finish with a top-four seed and a first-round bye in next week’s conference tournament in Las Vegas. Buffs coach Tad Boyle, though, wants his team’s attention on what’s within its control. “It’s time to focus on USC and not worry about seeding in the Pac-12 Tournament and not worry about next week,” Boyle said Thursday following a 93-68 rout of visiting UCLA. “Let’s get better tomorrow, and let’s have a great effort on Saturday and then we’ll see who and when we play in Vegas.” USC, meanwhile, has lost three straight following an 83-74 defeat at Utah on Thursday night and is looking to end the regular season on a high note.

TV: 5 p.m. ET, Pac-12 Network

ABOUT USC (15-15, 8-9 Pac-12): The Trojans shot 55.6 percent and received 17 points apiece from Bennie Boatwright, Nick Rakocevic and Elijah Weaver on Thursday but were outrebounded 35-23 and had few defensive answers for the Utes, who hit 11 3-pointers and had five players score in double digits. Boatwright leads the team in scoring with 18.5 per game and has averaged 22 points over his last seven contests while shooting 51 percent from the field. Rakocevic (14.9 points) and guard Jonah Mathews (12.5) also average double figures, but the Trojans’ chief concern lies on the other end of the floor where they’ve surrendered 176 combined points, including 22 3-pointers, in back-to-back losses to UCLA and Utah.

ABOUT COLORADO (18-11, 9-8): Sophomore swingman Tyler Bey matched his career high with 27 points Thursday and snared a game-high 13 rebounds to post his fourth straight double-double and seventh in his last nine games. Guard Shane Gatling added 26 points Thursday and combined with Bey to hit 18-of-25 2-point shot attempts. Overall, Bey is averaging a team-most 13.2 points and 9.6 rebounds while guard McKinley Wright (12.9 points, team-leading 5.0 assists), Gatling (10.6 points) and forward Lucas Siewert (10.2) also average double figures.

TIP-INS

1. Colorado has won eight of 12 meetings against USC since joining the Pac-12 in 2011.

2. Included in the above total is the Buffs’ 69-65 road win on Feb. 9 as Wright scored 20 points and Colorado shot 49.1 percent and finished with a 38-29 rebound advantage. Boatwright scored a game-high 24 for the Trojans.

3. The Buffaloes are tops in the Pac-12 with a 5.5 average rebound margin while USC ranks 10th with a minus-1.7 margin.

PREDICTION: Colorado 74, USC 71