USC vs Arizona injury report and predictions, March 9: Latest on Isaiah Collier, Boogie Ellis and more

The USC Trojans (13-17, 7-12 Pac-12) will host the No. 5 Arizona Wildcats (24-6, 15-4 Pac-12) in the season finale on Saturday night. This matchup will begin at 10:00 p.m. EST on ESPN from the Galen Center in Los Angeles, CA.

The Wildcats come into this game 10-1 in their last 11 games, including a four-game winning streak. They will now complete their regular-season campaign with this game before the Pac-12 tournament begins on March 13.

The Trojans defeated the Arizona State Sun Devils 81-73 on Thursday and will seek to surprise Arizona today for their third consecutive victory.

There are no players listed on the injury report ahead of this matchup, but USC has had to manage some injuries earlier in the season to some of their key players. Here is the latest on those prior injuries as those players work back towards full strength.

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USC vs. Arizona injuries

Isaiah Collier, USC

Freshman guard Isaiah Collier missed six games this season with a hand injury he suffered in January during a game against Washington State. The Trojans managed to go just 1-5 in the six games that Collier missed.

Collier has not missed a game since then and seems to be back to full strength late in the season for the Trojans. He is averaging 16.6 points, 2.7 rebounds and 4.2 assists this season for the Trojans while shooting just under 50% from the field.

Boogie Ellis, USC

Senior guard Boogie Ellis missed three games in January this season for the Trojans with a hamstring injury. USC went 0-3 in the games he was absent for, which included their first matchup of the season with the Arizona Wildcats.

Ellis is now back to full strength and has his first chance to take on a red-hot Arizona squad. Ellis is the Trojans' leading scorer this season, averaging 17 points per game while shooting an impressive 42.4% from three.

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USC vs. Arizona prediction

Arizona has been rolling late in the season and is a 7.5-point favorite over the Pac-12's USC Trojans. This season, the Wildcats are one of the nation's top-scoring teams, ranking second in points per game at 90.3.

They have five players averaging double figures, including senior center Oumar Ballo, who is averaging a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds.

Caleb Love is the Wildcats' leading scorer, averaging 19.3 points along with five rebounds and 3.5 assists this season. He led the team in scoring when these teams last met in January, tallying 20 points in an 82-67 victory for Arizona.

The Trojans will be delighted to have both Isaiah Collier and Boogie Ellis for this matchup. Both men missed the last matchup on January 17 while recovering from injuries.

USC's senior forward DJ Rodman led the charge in the prior meeting, finishing with 16 points and 7 rebounds. Oziyah Sellers, Kobe Johnson and Bronny James all chipped in as well, finishing with double-digit scoring.

USC's top two scorers will be back and healthy for the second encounter, so this game should be closer than the first. Despite a strong late-season surge for USC, Arizona has been a dominant force throughout the season and has shown little reason to believe differently.

Prediction: #5 ARIZ 87, USC 78