The USC Trojans (8-9) travel to face off against the Arizona Wildcats (12-4) on Wednesday, January 17th. This game will be played at McKale Center in Tucson and televised on ESPN. Both USC and Arizona will be looking to bounce back from losses in their previous games. Tip-off is scheduled for 10:00 ET.
USC Trojans vs Arizona Wildcats
The USC Trojans Look To Bounce Back From A Loss
USC enters tonight’s game as a 17.5-point underdog, and they are 0-4 as an underdog this season. The Trojans have gone 2-5 on the road this year, and they have lost three straight games away from home.
Overall, USC is 8-9 this season, and they have lost their last two games. In Pac-12 play, the Trojans are 2-4, while they have gone 6-5 in non-conference action.
As the underdog this season, USC has gone 1-3 vs. the spread. Their overall ATS mark sits at 8-9. On the road, the Trojans have a mark of 3-4 vs. the spread this year and are 5-5 at home. Over their last 10 games as the underdog, USC has gone 4-6 vs. the spread.
This season, the over/under record for USC games is 12-5, and today’s line of 159.5 is higher than the average over/under line in their games (148.2). So far, 12 of their games have finished with fewer points than today’s line. In their last three games, the average scoring total is 144 points, and their OU record over their last 10 games is 7-3.
The Arizona Wildcats Look To Bounce Back From A Loss
Arizona has been dominant at home this season, going 9-0 with an average scoring margin of +34.3 points per game. The Wildcats have won nine straight games at home and have gone 11-4 when favored this season.
Overall, Arizona is 12-4 on the season and 3-2 in Pac-12 play. The team’s most recent game was a 73-70 loss to Washington State.
At home this season, Arizona is a perfect 9-0 vs. the spread and has an overall ATS mark of 12-4. Over their last 10 games as the favorite, the Wildcats have gone 6-4 vs. the spread.
This season, Arizona’s over/under record is 7-8-1, and today’s line of 159.5 is very close to the average over/under line in their games (159.2). So far, 9 of their games have finished with more points than today’s line. In their last three games, the over/under record is 0-2-1, and the average scoring total in those games is just 151 points.
USC Offense Breakdown
In their most recent game, the USC offense put up just 58 points vs. the Colorado Buffaloes. Overall, they are now averaging 76.8 points per game which is 139th in the country. The top scorer for the Trojans was Oziyah Sellers with 18 points, while VIncent Iwuchukwu also added 10 to the scoreboard.
| Name | PPG | REB | AST |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boogie Ellis (G) | 18.7 | 4.1 | 3.4 |
| Isaiah Collier (G) | 15.4 | 2.6 | 4.1 |
| Kobe Johnson (G) | 11.5 | 4.7 | 3.6 |
Arizona Offense Breakdown
Compared to their season average of 91.2 points per game, Arizona struggled in their previous game. Against Washington State, the Wildcats scored 70 points while finishing with a field goal percentage of 34.7%. Caleb Love led the team in scoring, putting up 28 points. Additionally, Oumar Ballo contributed 11 points for the Wildcats.
| Name | PPG | REB | AST |
|---|---|---|---|
| Caleb Love (G) | 18.3 | 5.1 | 3.1 |
| Oumar Ballo (C) | 12.7 | 8.7 | 1.1 |
| Pelle Larsson (G) | 12.3 | 4.1 | 3.4 |
USC Team Defense
At present, the Trojans’ defense is nationally ranked 219th, allowing 74.4 points per game. In their previous game vs. Colorado, the Buffaloes finished with a field goal percentage of 44% and a total of 68 points vs. USC.
Arizona Team Defense
On defense, Arizona is currently around the NCAA average in points allowed, giving up an average of 71.9 points per game. In terms of field goal percentage allowed, Arizona’s defense has allowed opponents to shoot 42.0% from the field, including a three-point shooting percentage allowed of 33.9% this season.
Trojans vs Wildcats Trends
- When looking at their past three road matchups, USC has an ATS record of 1-2 while averaging 67 per game. The team went 0-3 overall in these games.
- Across the Wildcats last three home games, the team averaged 84 points per game while allowing 84. Their record vs the spread in these contests was 1-2, while going 1-2 straight-up.
- As the betting underdog, the Trojans have an ATS mark of just 4-6 in their last ten games. USC posted a straight up mark of 3-7 in these matchups.
- Arizona has done well both straight up and vs the spread when favored to win the game, going 2-1 SU and 2-1 ATS in their last three games.
Trojans vs Wildcats Prediction
When looking to get a point-spread pick down in this Wildcats vs. Wildcats game, our recommendation is to take the Wildcats at -17.5. Despite our model showing the Wildcats winning 75-70, we like Trojans as our point-spread pick.
Right now, the over/under line for the game is sitting at 159.5 and given that our model is projecting 145 points between the teams, we like the under.
All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!
* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.
Last updated:January 17, 2024 Arizona Wildcats, Teams, USC Trojans