The Eastern Washington Eagles take on the USC Trojans. Check out our college basketball odds series for our Eastern Washington USC prediction and pick. Find how to watch Eastern Washington USC.

The USC Trojans' season has not gone the way they had hoped. It hasn't been a disaster, but it hasn't been as successful as it could have been through the first three weeks of the season. The Trojans haven't picked up a bad loss, but they have lost twice, which is frankly twice more than most people predicted at this point in the season. UC Irvine has lost only once so far this season (entering Wednesday night's game at Duquesne), and Oklahoma is unbeaten under coach Porter Moser. Nevertheless, USC expected to be a big-time team, and other than the season-opening win over Kansas State and the second game of the season against Cal State Bakersfield, the Trojans haven't looked the part.

Injuries have been a factor, with Boogie Ellis, Kobe Johnson, and D.J. Rodman all missing at least one game in November. The Trojans have not been able to play and practice together when fully healthy since the Kansas State game, which — not coincidentally — was their best game of the season. The Trojans look ragged and impatient, and they aren't putting all the pieces together on the floor. Their big men aren't providing enough scoring or rebounding. Their bench is thin.

Bronny James still hasn't been medically cleared to play games, and his return — if it happens — is at least a few weeks away if not more. Backup big man Vince Iwuchukwu had a medical procedure on his back right after last season ended. He wasn't able to join the team on its August European tour. He wasn't able to get a full offseason of basketball practice, which means he is playing catch-up. Until Bronny and Iwuchukwu can get up to speed, USC won't have the full team it hoped for, the team which had a chance to do something really special this season.

Even then, however, with some limitations, USC still expected to do better than it has. Isaiah Collier is richly talented, but the point guard is turning the ball over too much and not overcoming his mistakes with big plays. Collier is running into defenses which are intent on preventing him from getting all the way to the rim, and because the USC big men aren't punishing defenses for focusing on Collier, the Trojans are still getting stuck at times on offense. It is precisely what this team hoped to avoid going into the season. USC plays this game against Eastern Washington three nights before a big one against Gonzaga in Las Vegas on Saturday.

Here are the Eastern Washington-USC College Basketball odds, courtesy of FanDuel.

College Basketball Odds: Eastern Washington-USC Odds

Eastern Washington Eagles: +17.5 (-110)

USC Trojans: -17.5 (-110)

Over: 153.5 (-110)

Under: 153.5 (-110)

How To Watch Eastern Washington vs USC

Time: 11:00 pm ET / 8:00 pm PT

TV: Pac-12 Network

Stream: fuboTV (click for a free trial)*

Why Eastern Washington Could Cover the Spread

The USC Trojans are likely to look ahead a little bit to Gonzaga in this game. Gonzaga looked ahead to USC on Tuesday night when it failed to cover a large spread against Cal State Bakersfield. You can and should expect USC to not be fully locked in for this game, simply because it's human nature to gear up for Gonzaga and not be as hyped for little old Eastern Washington. USC's lack of fluidity on offense and its lack of practice time as a larger unit also point to the idea that USC won't max out in this game. If that's the case, the large spread invites an EWU play plus the points.

Why USC Could Cover the Spread

The Trojans know they need to play better. Isaiah Collier knows he needs to play better. This team will want to prepare for the Gonzaga game with a sharp performance. Eastern Washington doesn't have the athletes who can stay with USC.

Final Eastern Washington-USC Prediction & Pick

The look-ahead distraction probably will swing this point spread in EWU's direction. Take the Eagles plus the points.

Final Eastern Washington-USC Prediction & Pick: Eastern Washington +17.5