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The Washington State Cougars take on the USC Trojans. Check out our college basketball odds series for our Washington State USC prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Washington State USC.
The college basketball season has been very wide open. It has taken all sorts of twists and turns. Washington State lost to Prairie View A&M and Hawaii and absorbed a few other notably bad losses in nonconference play. Yet, the Cougars also played Baylor tough for 40 full minutes in a narrow loss to the Bears. They lost to UCLA by only one point in a game they led most of the way. They beat Arizona by 13 in Tucson, and they recently hammered Arizona State by 17 in Pullman. Washington State is a weird team whose season has zig-zagged in all sorts of different directions. The Cougars can look terrible on one night and then great the next.
Speaking of twists and turns, USC lost to Washington State on January 1 but has since roared to life. USC is 4-2 since that loss to the Cougars, grabbing wins over Arizona State and UCLA to enter the month of February with a decent shot at an NCAA Tournament bid. One notable story for USC has been the arrival of big man Vince Iwuchukwu, who endured an episode of cardiac arrest last July and whose playing status for this year was in real doubt. He gained medical clearance to play on Jan. 12 and has made real contributions to USC since entering the rotation (though not the starting lineup).
Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Washington State-USC College Basketball odds.
College Basketball Odds: Washington State-USC Odds
Washington State Cougars: +7.5 (-110)
USC Trojans: -7.5 (-110)
Over: 131.5 (-104)
Under: 131.5 (-118)
How To Watch Washington State vs. USC
TV: Fox Sports 1
Stream: Fox Sports app
Time: 11:00 p.m. ET, 8:00 p.m. PT
*Watch Washington State-USC LIVE with fuboTV (Click for free trial)*
Why Washington State Could Cover the Spread
The Cougars have found a way to attack USC's defense in recent meetings. Washington State hit 14 3-pointers in the win over USC on New Year's Day. Last February (2022), Washington State made 15 3-pointers against the Trojans. Wazzu clearly tries to shoot 3-pointers in general, but it focuses on that part of its attack against USC, and the approach works. Add the fact that the spread is a seemingly-large 7,5 points, and it becomes clear that Washington State has a great chance to cover. USC won two very close games between these teams a year ago; even when USC does win in this matchup, it is not easy. The Cougars do bother the Trojans and give them a hard time. As long as Washington State's 3-point shooting does not fall off a cliff, it should be in good shape to cover the spread in this game.
Why USC Could Cover the Spread
The Trojans have given up 29 3-pointers to Washington State over the past two meetings with the Cougars. Surely, that kind of a statistic is bound to change. Regression to the mean will bite the Cougars in this game, and USC can win comfortably. Keep in mind that with Vince Iwuchukwu in the game — he was unable to play Washington State on January 1 — the Trojans have a big man who can hold down the fort in the paint. This will enable USC's guards and wings to defend the perimeter at a much higher level of quality and consistency. That will bottle up Washington State's 3-point shooting and give the Trojans the winning edge.
Final Washington State-USC Prediction & Pick
Washington State doesn't make things easy for USC. The spread seems at least two if not three points higher than it probably should be, so take WSU.
Final Washington State-USC Prediction & Pick: Washington State +7.5
