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The USC Trojans take on the Arizona Wildcats. Check out our college basketball odds series for our USC Arizona prediction and pick. Find out how to watch USC Arizona.
The college basketball season has been filled with all sorts of plot twists. The latest one at USC surrounds big man Vince Iwuchukwu, a five-star recruit who was supposed to be the next great big man at USC. The Trojans have generated multiple top-six lottery picks over the past few years. In 2020, it was Onyeka Okongwu who went to the Atlanta Hawks. Then came Evan Mobley, who was picked No. 3 by the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2021. USC coach Andy Enfield knows how to recruit elite big men and develop them defensively. Iwuchukwu was supposed to be next in line after Isaiah Mobley gave the Trojans a fine season in 2022. However, in July, Iwuchukwu suffered an episode of cardiac arrest. He was obviously not given immediate medical clearance to play. Doctors had to put him on a specific, closely-monitored program and wait to make sure he could play. That clearance was granted last week. Iwuchukwu played a total of 11 minutes in a two-game homestand versus Colorado last Thursday and Utah last Saturday. How much he will be able to develop for USC is a real question mark. He is still on a minutes restriction, so don't expect him to play anything more than 10 minutes in this game, probably no more than eight.
Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the USC-Arizona College Basketball odds.
College Basketball Odds: USC-Arizona Odds
USC Trojans: +8.5 (-110)
Arizona Wildcats: -8.5 (-110)
Over: 151.5 (-115)
Under: 151.5 (-105)
How To Watch USC vs. Arizona
TV: Pac-12 Network
Stream: Pac-12 Now
Time: 9:00 p.m. ET, 6:00 p.m. PT
*Watch USC-Arizona LIVE with fuboTV (Click for free trial)*
Why USC Could Cover the Spread
Arizona just hasn't played that well of late. You can plainly see it. The Wildcats lost by 19 points to the Oregon Ducks, an inconsistent team which had not shown it could play its best level of basketball on a relentless basis. One could say that Oregon has a lot of talent and that the Ducks are scary when they put it all together, which is narrowly true, but Arizona should have been good enough to at least play Oregon close. That did not happen. The Wildcats were completely outclassed one week after they lost by 13 points at home to Washington State. Maybe Arizona isn't nearly as good as it seemed to be earlier in the season. The Wildcats have a lot of work to do, and with a spread as large as 8.5 points, USC — which plays good defense — can certainly limit Arizona inside, force the Wildcats' guards to beat the Trojans with the outside shot, and generally keep this game ugly, grimy, and close.
Why Arizona Could Cover the Spread
The Wildcats are about to go off. Surely, their guards aren't going to keep playing poorly. Surely the Arizona backcourt is going to have a game where the shots fall and the energy is excellent. After the humiliating blowout loss to Oregon, Arizona is going to be very angry and very focused. When Arizona is very focused and is playing at home, that's a bad recipe for the opposition. Arizona is going to win this game convincingly.
Final USC-Arizona Prediction & Pick
Arizona is probably going to play well. The Wildcats have been slumping and are due for a breakout.
Final USC-Arizona Prediction & Pick: Arizona -8.5
