USC at Texas

Both of these teams cruised to easy round one victories but USC was definitely more impressive, winning by 17 as a two point favorite. They crushed Arkansas from start to finish. Texas struggled against New Mexico State for much of the game, pulling away late. Texas has Kevin Durant but USC and the Pac-10 is underrated. Don't forget that Texas only beat Arkansas by 4 points at home earlier this year. USC has held opponents to 39% FG this year and should have success holding down Texas' prolific offense. The past two seasons, USC under Tim Floyd is 13-5 ATS in non-conference games while Texas is 20-32 ATS in road tournament games under Barnes. USC is 9-2 ATS as an underdog this year. USC is playing this tournament with a bit more motivation than most teams, wearing a black patch for slain teammate Ryan Francis. Dont' underestimate the edge that can give a team in a close matchup.