Nebraska Cornhuskers vs USC Trojans Prediction, 2/28/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Nebraska Cornhuskers vs USC Trojans

Date: Saturday, February 28, 2026

Location: Galen Center in Los Angeles, CA

TV: BTN

The Nebraska Cornhuskers (24-4) are on their way to Galen Center on Saturday where they will meet the USC Trojans (18-10).

The Nebraska Cornhuskers played Maryland and went home with a win by a final score of 74-61 in their last contest. Nebraska wrapped up the game with a 43.4% field goal percentage (23 out of 53) and buried 10 of their 29 shots from beyond the arc. From the free throw line, the Cornhuskers converted 18 of 24 attempts for a rate of 75.0%. When it comes to grabbing boards, they earned 32 with 6 of them being of the offensive sort. They also dished out 18 assists for the contest in addition to forcing the other team into 11 turnovers and earning 7 steals. When discussing defending, Nebraska allowed 37.5% from the field on 21 of 56 shooting. Maryland dished out 15 assists and had 2 steals for the contest. On top of that, Maryland grabbed 30 rebounds (5 offensive, 25 defensive), but didn't record a block for the team. Maryland ended up shooting 87.5% at the charity stripe by burying 7 of 8 shots. They also made 12 of 36 shots from three-point range. In the matter of fouls, the Cornhuskers ended up walking away with 10 while Maryland had 19 fouls.

Braden Frager is a guy who was a major contributor in the game. He ended up going 46.2% from the field and totaled 1 assist. He was on the hardwood for 32 minutes and also collected 8 boards. He notched 21 points on 6 of 13 shooting.

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Nebraska enters this matchup with a win-loss record of 24-4 so far this season. They are turning it over 9.5 times per game and as a team are committing 14.5 personal fouls per game. As a team, Nebraska is snagging 35.1 boards per contest and is sitting with 510 dimes this year, which is 18th in the country in terms of passing the rock. The Cornhuskers are shooting 35.7% on shots from distance (304 of 851) and 76.1% from the free throw line. They currently have an average of 78.5 pts per contest (125th in the nation) while going 47.0% from the field.

Defensively, the Cornhuskers are forcing their opponents into 13.1 turnovers per game and they draw 15.6 personal fouls. They concede 29.7% on shots from downtown and they are 16th in college hoops in points per game allowed (65.4). The Cornhuskers defensively are giving up an opponent FG percentage of 39.6% (650 of 1,640) and they surrender 35.0 rebounds per contest as a unit. They are ranked 187th in college in allowing assists with 385 relinquished for the campaign.

The last time they took the hardwood, the USC Trojans went home defeated by a final of 81-62 against UCLA. The Trojans collected 23 defensive boards and 14 offensive rebounds for a total of 37 for this contest. They gave up possession 14 times, while earning 2 steals for the matchup. UCLA had 16 personal fouls in the game which got the Trojans to the charity stripe for a total of 16 tries. They were able to bury 12 of the free throws for a rate of 75.0%. In reference to 3-point shots, USC made 8 out of 26 attempts (30.8%). When the final whistle blew, the Trojans went 21 out of 60 from the floor which had them shooting 35.0%. The Trojans permitted UCLA to make 31 out of their 63 tries from the field which had them shooting 49.2% in this matchup. They shot 35.0% from three-point range by connecting on 7 out of 20 and ended up shooting 12 out of 14 from the free throw line (85.7%). When discussing rebounds, USC allowed UCLA to snag 28 in total (7 on the offensive side).

Chad Baker-Mazara ended up being a major contributor for the Trojans for this contest. He knocked down 8 of 16 for the matchup for a field goal rate of 50.0%, and had 8 rebounds. He accumulated 25 points in his 35 minutes on the court and totaled 2 assists for the matchup.

USC has a mark of 18-10 for the campaign. The Trojans are committing 18.9 fouls per contest and they go 71.8% from the free throw line. Their rate of earning assists is at 15.1 times per contest (109th in the country) and they cough up possession 12.6 times per game. USC has earned 2,229 points this season (79.6 per contest) and they average 37.1 boards per game. As an offensive team, the Trojans are hitting on 45.8% from the floor, which is ranked 148th in D-1.

The Trojans are ranked 257th in D-1 in points allowed per contest with 76.8. They are forcing their opponents into 12.2 TO's per game and have allowed teams to shoot 42.8% from the field (99th in D-1). The USC defense allows 31.0% from downtown (220 of 709) and opponents are converting on 77.7% of their free throw attempts. They have surrendered 14.3 assists and 33.4 rebounds per contest, which is 257th and 119th in college.

Who will win tonight's NCAA game against the spread?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Nebraska

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