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The Colorado State Rams take on the USC Trojans in Phoenix. Check out our college basketball odds series for our Colorado State USC prediction and pick.
This game is the last of three games played in the Footprint Center, the home arena of the Phoenix Suns, on Wednesday. The game immediately preceding this one, Saint Mary's versus Wyoming, has the team Colorado State just defeated on Sunday evening. The Rams went into Moraga, Calif., and upset Saint Mary's, 62-60, without Taviontae Jackson and Jalen Lake, two of their normal starters. How did Colorado State pull it off? Good shooting and great defense.
Colorado State shot over 55 percent from the field, showing good patience and discipline against Saint Mary's halfcourt defense. The Rams also managed to play their best defense in crunch time. They did not allow a made field goal attempt in the last four minutes of regulation. Saint Mary's had recently defeated one of Colorado State's foremost Mountain West competitors, San Diego State, so it seemed that Colorado State — minus two starters — was going to have a very tough time handling SMC on the road in Moraga. Instead, Colorado State made itself hard to handle, and Saint Mary's couldn't figure out the Rams' defense in a game which was close from start to finish. Colorado State had lost four games earlier in the season, but the Rams — without two key pieces to their roster — looked so much better against Saint Mary's. It's a very hopeful sign for the Rams as they continue their road trip with this neutral-site game in the desert.
Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Colorado State-USC College Basketball odds.
College Basketball Odds: Colorado State-USC Odds
Colorado State Rams: +2.5 (-102)
USC Trojans: -2.5 (-120)
Over: 139.5 (-110)
Under: 139.5 (-110)
Why Colorado State Could Cover the Spread
This is a confident team after the win over Saint Mary's on the road. Colorado State could not have played much better defense down the stretch. Everyone was in the right spot. There were no lapses. If Saint Mary's had scored even one or two baskets late in that game, the Rams might have lost, but they held the fort and continued to deliver stops even though the Rams did not have a large working margin. That's a character-building win for Colorado State, which had gone through some rocky periods earlier in the season and needed to show it could compete at a much higher level. The Rams achieved that, and now they can look at their season differently.
USC just beat Auburn, but the Trojans' frontcourt was outscored 34-13 by Auburn. USC does not have an especially deep team, and if any of the primary Trojans get into foul trouble, they have limited options. USC also struggles to shoot the 3-pointer well. That could be a problem if the Trojans can't get to the rim against Colorado State's disciplined defense.
Why USC Could Cover the Spread
The Colorado State Rams might not have Taviontae Jackson or Jalen Lake for this game, but you will want to look at pregame injury reports to see what the status of these players is. Even if Jackson and/or Lake play, they might not be supremely effective.
Colorado State has lost to Charleston, Penn State, Colorado, and Northern Colorado. That's not an especially good collection of losses. None of those teams are terrible, but neither are they among the nation's elite. Colorado State played extremely well against Saint Mary's, but carrying a good performance in one game into the next game has proved to be difficult for the Rams so far this season. USC just beat Auburn — a better team than Saint Mary's — on Sunday. The Trojans have a higher ceiling than Colorado State as a team.
Final Colorado State-USC Prediction & Pick
This game figures to be close all the way, so you should pass on it. The uncertainty about Colorado State's injuries should also make you wait until you know more about these teams.
Final Colorado State-USC Prediction & Pick: USC -2.5
