It will be a matchup of two teams headed in opposite directions when the No. 25 USC Trojans (16-6, 7-2 Pac-12) meet the California Golden Bears (7-14, 1-7 Pac-12) at Galen Center. The Trojans have won five consecutive games, while the Golden Bears have lost their last seven games. The game can be seen on Pac-12 Network at 4 p.m. ET on Sunday, January 28, 2018.
The game’s Over/Under (O/U) opened at 149 points with USC set as an 18.5-point favorite.
California Golden Bears at USC Trojans Free Prediction
In the Golden Bears’ last outing, they were topped by the UCLA Bruins, 70-57. One of UCLA’s biggest strengths was getting to the charity stripe. They made 32 trips to the line, while California went just 16 times. Justice Sueing was the game’s high scorer with 24 points on 8-for-17 shooting.
The Trojans were victorious over the Stanford Cardinal in their last contest, 69-64. USC forced the Cardinal into a turnover percentage of 21.5 (above their season average of 18.3). Stanford, meanwhile, did a great job of making free throws (14-19; 73.7 percent). With 12 points, 10 rebounds and five assists, Chimezie Metu put together a good performance for USC.
The productive offense of USC will battle against the porous defense of California. The Trojans rank 33rd in offensive efficiency, while the Golden Bears are 322nd in defensive efficiency. The Trojans figure to have the advantage on that end of the court.
California comes into the contest with records of 7-14 straight up (SU) and 7-11 against the spread (ATS). Golden Bears games have no tendency in regards to the projected point total, as there has been an even split between games finishing over and under.
Meanwhile, USC owns records of 16-6 SU and 13-8-1 ATS. Much like California, games involving the Trojans have a slight tendency to finish under the O/U total (52.4 percent).
Sueing has averaged 18.8 points, 7.4 rebounds and 1.8 steals over the last five games for California.
This is the second game of the season between these two teams. In the first, Nick Rakocevic scored a game-high 19 points and the Trojans beat the Golden Bears 80-62, covering as 6.5-point favorites. He also put up seven rebounds. The game finished with a total of 142 points, which was 11 points below the projected point total of 153 points. The Trojans had a much better turnover percentage (12.9 vs. 25.8) and had a better free throw rate (0.215 vs. 0.155).
California Golden Bears at USC Trojans Free Pick
College Basketball Pick: SU Winner – USC, ATS Winner – California, O/U – Under
Notes
Betting Notes:
On the road, California is 4-3 ATS with 5 unders and 2 overs.
USC is 5-6-1 ATS at home with 5 overs, 5 unders and 1 push.
USC ranks 35th in assists per game (16.5) while California ranks 262nd (10.7).
The Trojans rank 132nd in three pointers attempted per game (22.1) while the Golden Bears rank 279th (15.2).
USC ranks 44th in blocks per game (4.5) while California ranks 125th in blocks allowed per game (3.7).
The Trojans rank 22nd in steals allowed per game (4.9) while the Golden Bears rank 91st (6.0).
Bettings Trends:
In their last five games, California is 2-3 ATS with 5 unders.
USC is 3-1-1 ATS with 4 unders and 1 over over their last five games.
The Golden Bears’ average margin of defeat in their last five games has been 15.4, up from 8.0 for the season.
During their last five games, the Trojans have scored an average of 74.4 points per game (5.5 below their season average) and allowed an average of 65.2 points per game (6.3 below their season average).
