Washington vs USC and Betting Preview
Sportsmemo handicapper JM Sports offers his Washington vs USC predictions and betting preview for the Pac-12 Conference Tournament on Thursday, March 10. At the time of posting, the Trojans are a 6.5-point favorite against the Huskies, with the total sitting at 141.5 points.
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Thursday, March 10 | Pac-12 Conference Tournament Betting Notes |
---|---|
Point Spread: | Washington Huskies +6.5 vs USC Trojans |
Total: | 141.5 Points |
Game Time: | 11:30pm ET / 8:30pm PT |
Arena: | T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV |
TV: | FS1 |
Washington vs USC Analysis
The Pac-12 has been an up and down kind of conference this season, they currently have 8 of their 12 teams sitting over .500, but the conference as a whole is 3rd in conference games decided by a blowout (20 or more points).
The Pac-12 has had more conference games decided by 20 or more points (29), than games decided by less than 4 points or in OT (25).
Now, #6 seed Washington is set to take on #3 seed USC in the 2nd round of the Pac-12 tournament, after taking down Utah yesterday.
USC also could potentially be without Isaiah White for their first Pac-12 tournament game this season. This head-to-head series is about as close as it gets, USC has won four of the last five, but dating back to 1997, USC leads the series just 24-23.
Washington has Woes on Offense
Washington is getting hot at the right time, they have won four of the last five overall while shooting over 48%, on top of including five out of the last six.
On the season they are 17-14, keeping afloat above that .500 marker, but they have slipped below that level on the road. Away from their home court they are just 6-8, although they are 9-5 against the spread on the road.
They may be putting up nearly 72 PPG on the road, but they are allowing the opposition to put up over 77 PPG on 47% shooting, a number that is going to need to be lowered drastically to come out with a win in this tournament.
Washington is sitting with a record of 12-9 against conference opponents this year, but impressively enough they are 15-6 against the spread in conference games.
They have struggled to put up points on the season, ranking 285th in 3PT% and 301st in 2PT%, but that could also stem from the fact that they have played the 66th hardest schedule.
Washington is one of the most experienced teams in the country, as well as one of the tallest teams in the nation.
Although they have struggled to perform in the biggest games, posting a record of 5-9 against KenPom top-100 overall teams, but they have yet to beat a team in the top-50 overall.
They are just 1-6 against teams that rank in the top-50 in offensive efficiency, and they are just 3-7 against teams that rank in the top-60 defensively.
Trojans Take Their Defense Seriously
USC has played well in a top-5 potential conference, posting a 14-6 record against Pac-12 opponents. They are currently the 3rd best offense in the conference, the 2nd best 3PT shooting team and the best offensive rebounding team.
On the defensive side, they are the 2nd best team defending shots inside the arc, potentially due to being one a top-5 team in term of average height in the nation, but they are the worst team in the conference covering the 3PT shot.
USC ranks nationally as the 10th best team in effective FG% allowed, and they are the 3rd best team in all of division-1 ball in 2PT% allowed, better then 99% of the nation.
All of this has lead to a 25-6 record on the season, which has put them at the 21st spot in the most recent AP polls.
They are 12-3 on the road this season, covering 10 of those games against the spread, but they are allowing just 64.5 PPG on 38.9% shooting on the road!
While USC has been red hot on the road, head coach Enfield is 11-2 against the spread on a neutral court with the line between pick and (-6) as the coach of USC, in those games they are averaging nearly 77 PPG and they are allowing just 68 PPG to the opposition.
This team has won six of the last eight games overall, but they are coming off back-to-back losses for the first time all season. Yet, USC is 0-6-1 against the spread in the last seven games as a favorite, keeping the games close.
Washington vs USC Prediction
Washington needs some big resume boosters to have a chance to find their way into March Madness, but is there enough time left to make a push?
They made the tournament in 2019, but prior to that, their last visit to the big dance was in 2011! That journey starts with looking to avenge a 10 point loss to USC earlier in the season.
Terrell Brown and company are ready to come in swinging against USC. They are off a big win, and the extra rest isn’t always a good thing for USC.
On the other hand, Isaiah Mobley and USC have their eyes set on something that his brother never achieved, a Pac-12 conference tournament championship.
I do think USC will win this game, but Washington is 16-6 against the spread this year when going up against teams that commit 14 or less TO’s per game on average, losing by just 0.8 PPG.
Coach Hopkins is also 6-0 against the spread off back-to-back W’s by 10 or more points against conference rivals, winning those games by 6.9 PPG on average, bouncing back with a chip on their shoulder!
Prediction:Washington +6.5
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Washington vs USC GoldSheet Preview
College Basketball Stat Sheet
GoldSheet prepares a daily college basketball stat sheet, which offers a head-to-head comparison for how teams are performing in a number of key areas heading into a game. Check out Thursday’s sheet, with notes on tonight’s Washington vs USC contest.
NCAAB Odds Screen
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