Is Bronny James Back? USC Trojans vs Long Beach State Match Preview – Players to Watch, Head to Head, and Prediction

The University of Southern California Trojans will square off against the Long Beach State in the highly anticipated clash at the Galen Center. While the Trojans are placed at the 10th position in the Pac-12 conference with an ordinary 5-3 record, the Long Beach State occupies the fifth spot in the Big West with a 6-4 tally. The match will surely raise expectations in their respective fans and it will be thrilling to watch which team wins it.

Players to Watch

The USC Trojans have found a perfect guard in Boogie Ellis who averages a whopping 22.4 points in the 7 games he has played so far. He leads the Andy Enfield team in scoring. He also has a decent rebounds average with 4.4 rebounds per game and has done pretty well in his assists with 3.3 assists per contest, considering he is playing the alpha in the team.

Another point to note is that Ellis has a spectacular 47.5% three-pointer percentage and a respectable 79.3% free throw percentage. The Long Beach State will have to stop Ellis if they want to win this match.

This game will potentially be the NBA legend LeBron James’ son Bronny James’ debut for the Trojans. He couldn’t play the previous matches since he was resting after suffering a cardiac arrest.

Although it is doubtful if Enfield will play him for a major part of the game, irrespective of the time he plays, Bronny will be a delight to watch for the fans, especially with his defensive tactics and being a connector in layups.

For the Beach State, their guard Marcus Tsohonis will be the player to watch. He has led his team in scoring with an exemplary 17.2 points tally. Additionally, he has an honorable 31.6% three-pointer percentage and a 44.8% field goal percentage.

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He has previously demonstrated against the Michigan Wolverines that if the team supports him, then he can drop an exceptional number with a season-high 35 points coming against them. If he can repeat his heroics against the Trojans, then the game can swing to either side.

Head to Head

As per the official USC Trojans website, they lead a 12-6 record against the 49ers, with the former winning their last four contests by a narrow margin of 11 points or less.

The Trojans’ last victory came in December 2022, when they had trumped the Beach State by an 88-78 margin. Thus, Long Beach has found it difficult to emerge triumphant in the recent clashes.

Prediction

The Long Beach has not found many reliable players this season and the Trojans are expected to win the match by a margin of double figures. The Long Beach can make a difference if they play as a team and contain their rivals.

Their strategies, especially Ellis, will be a treat to watch for the fans. Moreover, the Trojans are reportedly not having the best season this year. However, they look to have the upper hand considering they haven’t lost any recent matches against the 49ers.

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Whatever might be the result, the game will attract a lot of viewership since it will be Bronny’s debut.