Purdue Boilermakers vs Usc Trojans Picks and Predictions March 13th 2025

No. 20 Purdue Focused on Task at Hand in Game vs. USC

Purdue enters the Big Ten tournament with little room for complacency after dropping five of its final seven regular-season games. Any hopes of a deep run have been replaced with a step-by-step approach as the sixth-seeded Boilermakers (21-10) open second-round play against 14th-seeded Southern California (16-16) on Thursday night in Indianapolis.

Purdue appeared poised for a high seed in the NCAA Tournament after winning 11 of its first 13 conference games. However, a four-game losing streak triggered a late-season slump, and now the 20th-ranked Boilermakers are simply looking to regain momentum.

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Purdue Adopts a One-Game Mentality

Big Ten Player of the Year Braden Smith emphasized the importance of staying focused on the present.

“It’s just one game at a time, and we have to be good in every single part and aspect of the game for one game at a time,” Smith said. “We’ve got to come out defensively — offensively, I think we’re fine — just sticking to our rules.”

Purdue concluded its regular season with an 88-80 road loss to Illinois. The late-season skid also included setbacks against then-No. 20 Michigan, then-No. 16 Wisconsin, then-No. 14 Michigan State, and Indiana.

Head coach Matt Painter echoed the single-game mindset, dismissing any talk about a potential matchup against third-seeded Michigan in the next round.

“You win the game in front of you,” Painter said. “You think about it afterwards, you don’t think about it during … you have to win the game in front of you, and that’s where you have to keep your focus.”

Despite the struggles, Purdue’s leading scorer, Trey Kaufman-Renn (19.7 ppg), remains confident in his team’s potential.

“Just win. Prove that you’re the best team. I think it’s as simple as that,” Kaufman-Renn said. “I think we have confidence that we can compete with anybody when we’re all locked in and doing our jobs. It’s an opportunity for us to show that.”

USC Survives and Advances

USC kept its postseason alive with a 97-89 double-overtime win over 11th-seeded Rutgers in the first round on Wednesday. The Trojans had lost eight of their previous 10 games, and head coach Eric Musselman pointed to a grueling travel schedule as a major factor in their struggles.

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“I’ve said it publicly and I’ll continue to say it,” Musselman said. “UCLA, USC, Oregon, and Washington are going to have to be three to four games better than everybody else flat out. You can argue about it or whatever — that’s a fact.”

Against Rutgers, Desmond Claude exploded for 28 points and eight assists, Wesley Yates III added 24 points, and Rashaun Agee dominated inside with 23 points and 11 rebounds. The Trojans led for more than 35 minutes, showing a level of resilience they hope to carry into the Purdue matchup.

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“We had to figure out why we (were) losing and how we could do better,” Claude said. “One thing we came down to is everybody could play harder, get 50-50 balls, and I felt like we did a pretty good job today. We wanted this game. The tournament — we thought we came in 0-0. We wanted to keep winning.”

Key Matchup: Purdue vs. USC

Purdue dominated USC 90-72 in their previous meeting on Feb. 7, with Kaufman-Renn leading the way with 24 points and 10 rebounds. Yates kept the Trojans competitive with 30 points, but USC struggled to slow down the Boilermakers’ efficient offense.

If USC hopes to flip the script, it will need another strong effort from its trio of Claude, Yates, and Agee while limiting Purdue’s inside presence. For Purdue, sticking to its defensive principles and executing in the half-court will be key to avoiding an early exit.