Arizona State @ USC u124.5 (-110)
Thu March 13 ‘08 3:00p
Like many teams in the Pac 10, the Arizona State Sun Devils have become more of an Under team, and we look for that pattern to continue vs. the USC Trojans in the Pac 10 Tournament this afternoon.

While this is officially considered to be a neutral site at the Staples Center, it is obviously practically a home game for USC. Thus, we look for Arizona State to run their deliberate offense and play keep-away for the most part, which would prevent them from getting involved in an unwanted running game with the Trojans and would also take the crowd out of the game. The Sun Devils took this approach when they played at USC during the regular season, and as a result the teams combined to score just 120 points. Also, since ASU was on the short end of that 67-53 score, we actually think they will shorten this game even more to give themselves the best chance to win.

On the other side, do not forget about the underrated USC defense, as the Trojans allowed just 63.7 points per game on a minuscule 39.3 percent shooting from the floor during the regular year. Sure they would prefer to run more, but they should be content to let Arizona State do their thing, as the Trojans have the confidence that they could make stops once the Sun Devils finally do get into their offense.

The end result should be a similar if not somewhat slower pace than the regular season meeting in Los Angeles, so we do not see this game exceeding 120 points.

CBB Free Pick: Arizona State, USC Under 124.5

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