The Arizona Wildcats take on the USC Trojans. Check out our college basketball odds series for our Arizona USC prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Arizona USC.
The Arizona Wildcats are still wondering how they let Arizona State get away last weekend. The Wildcats led by one with 2.9 seconds left and were shooting free throws. Crucially, Arizona State did not have any timeouts left, meaning that if Arizona made both free throws, it could foul Arizona State with two seconds left and basically lock up a win. If it chose not to foul, ASU still would have had to inbound the ball from its own baseline and launch a 3-pointer just to tie.
If Arizona missed the first of the two free throws with 2.9 seconds left, the Wildcats just had to miss the second free throw. It was very conceptually simple: With Arizona State not having any timeouts left, the Sun Devils would first need to win the battle for the loose ball under their own basket. Then they would need to pass the ball through active Arizona defenders. The receiver of the pass would have to immediately catch and shoot, given the small amount of time left. Imagine doing that in under 2.9 seconds. Arizona just had to be smart.
The Wildcats missed the first free throw, so they obviously had to miss the second one … but they made it instead. Arizona State got an inbound pass, threw the ball 25 feet up the court. Desmond Cambridge Jr. got within 55 feet of the basket. No one defended him. It was a low-percentage shot, but no one bothered him as he gathered his momentum. He did have a clear sight line.
Swish.
Arizona lost, 89-88, because it didn't do anything correctly in those final three seconds. Now we'll see if the Wildcats can regroup against USC.
Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Arizona-USC College Basketball odds.
College Basketball Odds: Arizona-USC Odds
Arizona Wildcats: -2.5 (-105)
USC Trojans: +2.5 (-115)
Over: 155.5 (-104)
Under: 155.5 (-118)
How To Watch Arizona vs. USC
TV: ESPN
Stream: ESPN+
Time: 11:00 p.m. ET, 8:00 p.m. PT
*Watch Arizona-USC LIVE with fuboTV (Click for free trial)*
Why Arizona Could Cover the Spread
The Wildcats were a lot better than USC in the first matchup between these two teams in Tucson. That was back in January, but it remains that Arizona has elite bigs, Oumar Ballo and Azuolas Tubelis. USC's big men are not particularly strong. Vince Iwuchukwu has a lot of upside and talent, but his health problems and limited minutes make him less than full strength and less than fully dependable. Arizona's big men should control their respective matchups, and when that happens, the Wildcats are hard to beat. USC is going to have a tough time staying close to the Wildcats, because Arizona is likely to feast in the paint and on the glass. USC is a decent team, but it did lose to Florida Gulf Coast and Oregon State. Arizona has a lot more upside than the Trojans do.
Why USC Could Cover the Spread
The Arizona Wildcats are just not as good or as consistent as last season's team. That 2022 Arizona team was a No. 1 seed which had Final Four potential but ran into a lethally tough No. 5 seed, the Houston Cougars. This team could be a No. 2 seed, but the floor is lower for Arizona because the guards aren't as good as last season's group. Bennedict Mathurin was a dynamic point guard. This 2023 Arizona team does not have anyone nearly as good as Mathurin, and that's a key reason the 2023 Cats aren't able to match the 2022 U of A standard.
Let's add the point that USC will be playing at home in front of an energized crowd. The Trojans have a chance to play their way into the NCAA Tournament. They will fight hard.
Final Arizona-USC Prediction & Pick
Arizona is a noticeably better team than USC, even though the two teams are fighting for second place in the Pac-12. Arizona is coming off a loss and will be angry. USC is not going to be able to keep pace. Take Arizona.
Final Arizona-USC Prediction & Pick: Arizona -2.5
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