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Undefeated USC takes on Stanford Tuesday afternoon! It's time to continue our college basketball odds series with a USC-Stanford prediction and pick.
No. 5 USC is off to a fantastic start to the season. They came into the year unranked and have worked their way into the top-5. They contain one of the top players in the nation in Isaiah Mobley, who is averaging 15.3 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 2.7 assists on the season. The 6-foot-10 forward from Murrieta, California will likely follow in his brother's footsteps and get drafted early in this next NBA draft. Before that happens, he has a chance to lead USC to the tournament where they seem like a team that can make it pretty far. USC is coming off a win against California 77-63 before their last game against Stanford was postponed to today.
Stanford is 8-4 on the year which is not a bad start. The issue with them has been health. because of covid-19, they haven't played in almost a month. They defeated Liberty 79-76 on December 23 and have had their last two games canceled or postponed since. The Pac-12 currently has three teams in the top-6 in the standings, and with a win for Stanford tonight, they could move into the rankings soon.
Here are the USC-Stanford college basketball odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
College Basketball Odds: USC-Stanford Odds
USC: -6 (-114)
Stanford: +6 (-106)
Over: 139 (-110)
Under: 139 (-110)
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Why USC Could Cover The Spread
The Trojans should have no issue covering this spread, in fact, I'm not sure why it isn't higher. USC is the far superior defensive team allowing just 60 points per game. They also average more per game at 76 points to Stanford's 70.5. USC is better in every major statistic and so I just can't see Stanford winning this game. Mobley puts a mismatch on really every player in the nation besides a handful. They also have 6-foot-9 forward Chevez Goodwin who is averaging 13 points per game as well. Those two are very difficult to defend as well as core against. Stanford doesn't have anyone who can really keep up. Stanford's two best players are at least 6-foot-8 forward as well but they don't have the scoring ability as Mobley and Goodwin. USC will cover this spread on the defensive end as they should keep them to a minimum for most of the game.
Why Stanford Could Cover The Spread
Stanford will have a hard time covering this spread. USC is playing extremely well right now and they are just a mismatch at all times. The Cardinal is led by forward Jaiden Delaire who is averaging 12.3 points per game. Harrison Ingram is right behind him at 12.2 points but has 6.9 rebounds per game to go along with it. It's really going to be on those two to get the job done today. They desperately need them to hold off Mobley and Goodwin for as long as possible. They must defend well and pray that the offense shows up against a great defense. Stanford has won four of their last five games and so if they keep up their success then that could benefit them in this one.
Final USC-Stanford Prediction & Pick
This should be an easy decision and so I'm taking USC to cover this spread. I'm also taking the over as well as I think Stanford will find a way to score enough to force USC to keep their foot on the gas all game long.
Final USC-Stanford Prediction & Pick: USC -6 (-114) & over: 139 (-110)
