Southern California vs UCLA Prediction, Game Preview, Live Stream, Odds & Picks
Trojans Head Across Town in Search of an Upset
UCLA Goes After 11th Win in a Row
This Pac-12 matchup lost a little of its luster after a recent tumble by the Trojans. After winning all six games in December, USC fell to Washington State 81-71 on Sunday as the victorious Cougars were 14 of 29 from 3-point range.
USC did take down UCLA in the first meeting of the 2021-22 season by holding the Bruins to 29.7% shooting.
A heart issue has sidelined USC freshman Vincent Iwuchukwu. The 7-foot-1 forward/center was a top 40 national recruit. Amari Bailey, who is fifth on UCLA with an average of 9.5 points per game, is out with a foot injury.
UCLA is in the top 10 in the country with an average of 9.7 turnovers per game and 24th in scoring defense, allowing 61 points per contest.
UCLA remained at No. 8 in the latest coaches poll and moved up a spot to 10th in the Associated Press Top 25 poll.
According to the college basketball odds, UCLA (+1400) is tied for the fourth-best odds to win the national title. USC is well back at +15000.
Let’s check the latest college basketball odds, stats, injury reports and college basketball lines for Southern California vs UCLA. We’ve plenty of NCAA basketball odds for you to consider.
Top Scorer Starting to Boogie
Southern California opened up Pac-12 play with wins over California and Oregon State despite sub-par scoring performances from leading scorer Boogie Ellis.
Ellis was 5 of 17 (1 of 8 on 3-pointers) as he finished with 13 points, five rebounds, three assists, three steals, and four turnovers. After putting up a season-low five points against Cal State Fullerton, Ellis has turned things around.
Ellis has five straight double-digit scoring games, including 28 in a win over nationally ranked Auburn and 27 versus Washington. He is averaging 21.5 points on 52.5 shooting over the last four games. He was 10 of 20 from 3-point range before missing all four of his 3-pointers in the loss to Washington State.
The Las Vegas odds total has gone over in four of Southern California‘s last five games.
Ten Is Not Enough
UCLA didn’t have the best of times at the Main Event, falling to ranked Illinois and Baylor teams in a span of three days. However, the Bruins haven’t lost since, with 10 straight wins with eight double-digit victories.
The victory that garnered the most attention was a 63-53 win over Kentucky at the CBS Sports Classic at Madison Square Garden. The Bruins, one of the nation’s toughest teams to score against, limited Kentucky to 32.8% shooting.
UCLA opened 2023 with perhaps an even more impressive victory, leading by as many as 27 points in a 74-49 blowout at Washington on Sunday. The Huskies missed 23 of their 25 3-pointers while freshman Adem Bona led the Bruins scoring in double figures with 18 points.
Now the Bruins welcome USC to Pauley Pavilion with a packed house waiting for the first meeting of the season between the rivals.
𝗦𝗢𝗟𝗗 𝗢𝗨𝗧 for the 🔵 𝗕𝗟𝗨𝗘 𝗢𝗨𝗧 🔵
See you tomorrow, Bruins! 💥🏀 pic.twitter.com/9zzRBCmaLU
— UCLA Athletics (@UCLAAthletics) January 5, 2023
UCLA has covered against the college basketball betting lines in four of its last five contests.
Southern California vs UCLA Game Injuries
Southern California vs UCLA Head-to-Head
UCLA has won the last two meetings, including a 69-59 win in the semifinals of the Pac-12 tournament as a six-point favorite.
USC had won five games in a row in the series, a streak that included the first of two regular-season meetings last season. Three of those games were decided by three points or less.
Six of the last seven games between the Trojans and Bruins finished under the total. However, nine of the last 11 times USC played at UCLA, the game finished over the total.
Southern California vs UCLA Game Information
- Game: USC (11-4, 3-1 Pac-12) vs UCLA (13-2, 4-0 Pac-12)
- Location: Pauley Pavilion, Los Angeles, CA
- Day/Time: Thursday, Jan. 5, 9:30 p.m. ET
- Southern California vs UCLA Live Stream: TBS.com
Southern California vs UCLA Betting Lines
Southern California vs UCLA Picks & Prediction
UCLA will be missing a key piece with freshman guard Amari Bailey sidelined. However, the Bruins did win their last two games without the No. 5 rated recruit, according to ESPN, in the Class of 2022.
The Bruins should still be able to pick up another home win, but covering as an 11-point favorite against rival USC could be a challenge. The line opened at 13½ before quickly dropping to 11.
UCLA is 12-1 when listed as a favorite this season, while USC is just 2-3 as the underdog.
The Trojans have covered in two of the three road games, and UCLA is 5-3 against the college basketball betting lines at home.
UCLA is listed at -650 in our Las Vegas college basketball lines. This means that if you wager $100 on the Trojans, you have a chance to win $15. Southern California is +480, offering a chance to win $480 on a $100 wager.
The implied probability attached to the betting lines gives UCLA an 86.67% chance to win, with USC at 17.24%.
