Halftime Report

Only one more half stands between Illinois and the win they were favored to collect coming into this afternoon. A victory is still up for grabs for either team after one quarter, but Illinois is up 38-36 over USC.

Illinois entered the game having won five straight and they're just one half away from another. Will they make it six, or will USC step up and spoil it? We'll know soon.

Who's Playing

USC Trojans @ Illinois Fighting Illini

Current Records: USC 9-6, Illinois 12-3

How To Watch

What to Know

We've got another exciting Big Ten matchup on schedule as the USC Trojans and the Illinois Fighting Illini are set to tip at 12:00 p.m. ET on Saturday at State Farm Center. The Trojans are strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 75.7 points per game this season.

USC is likely headed into the matchup with a focus on the second half, which is when things went downhill against Indiana on Wednesday. USC fell 82-69 to Indiana. The Trojans have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.

The losing side was boosted by Wesley Yates III, who posted 18 points.

Meanwhile, Illinois waltzed into their game on Wednesday with four straight wins... but they left with five. They blew past the Nittany Lions, posting a 91-52 win. The Fighting Illini have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won seven contests by 32 points or more this season.

Illinois' victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Tre White, who went 7 for 12 en route to 20 points plus seven rebounds. Ben Humrichous was another key player, shooting 5-for-9 from long range and almost dropping a double-double on 21 points and nine rebounds.

Illinois was working as a unit and finished the game with 19 assists. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Penn State only racked up six.

USC's defeat dropped their record down to 9-6. As for Illinois, they have been performing incredibly well recently as they've won six of their last seven matches, which provided a nice bump to their 12-3 record this season.

Some high-performance offense is likely on the agenda as the two teams are some of the highest scoring teams in the league. USC hasn't had any problem running up the score this season, having averaged 75.7 points per game. However, it's not like Illinois (currently ranked fifth) struggles in that department as they've been averaging 87.9. With both teams so easily able to put up points, the only question left is who can run the score up higher.

USC is hoping to beat the odds on Saturday, as the experts think they're headed for a loss. They are a gamble against the spread as they sit with a 5-10 ATS record.

Odds

Illinois is a big 14.5-point favorite against USC, according to the latest college basketball odds.

The oddsmakers were right in line with the betting community on this one, as the game opened as a 14.5-point spread, and stayed right there.


The over/under is 154 points.

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