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The Washington Huskies are set to face the USC Trojans. Check out our college basketball odds series, which includes our Washington USC prediction, odds, and pick.
The Washington Huskies began the season with a series of bad losses, immediately eliminating themselves from NCAA Tournament at-large consideration. They rebounded later in the nonconference schedule but merely contained damage rather than transforming their season. As college basketball odds analysts know well, Washington has become a Pac-12 team which is good at home and not very good on the road. Washington has split with Stanford, winning at home; split with Colorado by winning at home; and picked off a few other wins in the conference, just not against the elites. When considering a Washington USC prediction, realize that UW is a lot stronger in Seattle than on the road in the Pac-12. Coach Mike Hopkins is not on the hot seat relative to this season. He will be retained for at least one more year. However, he will enter the 2022-2023 season knowing he needs to make a run at the NCAA Tournament.
The USC Trojans are coming off a surprising win over UCLA. Some might wonder why this would be characterized as as surprise, given that the Trojans are 21-4 on the season. The reason their 67-64 win over the Bruins was a surprise is that Isaiah Mobley, their best player and a future first-round NBA draft pick, missed the game with a broken nose suffered one week earlier against Arizona. USC needed an improbably great game from Drew Peterson to beat UCLA. Peterson scored 27 points, hit 4 of 5 3-point shots, grabbed 12 rebounds, blocked five shots, and handed out four assists. He was phenomenal, but he usually doesn't play that well. What also made the USC win over UCLA surprising is that Trojan guard Boogie Ellis, a high-profile transfer from Memphis, went 0 for 7 from the field and didn't score a point. Think about that when considering a Washington USC pick.
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Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Washington-USC odds:
College Basketball odds: Washington-USC Odds
Washington: +11.5 (-106)
USC: -11.5 (-114)
Over: 139.5 (-110)
Under: 139.5 (-110)
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Why Washington Could Cover the Spread
The USC Trojans are good team, but they are an inconsistent team. They win a lot, but their games involve a lot of ups and downs. USC defeated Arizona State and California in late January despite falling behind early in each of those games. USC trailed Pacific by eight points early in the second half last week before rallying to win. It's not likely that Washington will actually win this game outright, but the Huskies can certainly build a first-half lead against a USC team whose players, such as Boogie Ellis, run hot and cold. This game will probably be a six- or seven-point game with five minutes left in regulation. That should be enough for UW to cover the spread.
Why USC Could Cover the Spread
The Washington Huskies play well in conference games at home, but not on the road. If Washington plays the way it has played in most of its other Pac-12 road games, the Huskies will get drilled and USC will cover the spread.
Final Washington-USC Prediction & Pick
USC gets Isaiah Mobley back in the lineup, but after a few weeks out, he might not be especially sharp. Moreover, Boogie Ellis and Chevez Goodwin have had an up-and-down Pac-12 season. USC's inconsistency lends credence to the view that Washington will keep this game moderately if not extremely close. USC wins, but it won't be especially comfortable.
Final Washington-USC Pick: Washington +11.5
