Washington State USC prediction, pick
The Washington State Cougars take on the USC Trojans. Check out our college basketball odds series for our Washington State USC predictions and picks. Find out how to watch Washington State USC.
The college basketball season has been very open. It took all kinds of twists. Washington State lost to Prairie View A&M and Hawaii and absorbed a few other particularly bad losses in non-conference play. Yet the Cougars also played Baylor for a full 40 minutes in a tight loss to the Bears. They lost to UCLA by a single point in a game they led most of the time. They beat Arizona by 13 in Tucson, and they recently beat Arizona State by 17 in Pullman. Washington State is a weird team whose season has zigzagged in all sorts of different directions. Cougars can look terrible one night, then great the next.
Speaking of twists, USC lost to Washington State on Jan. 1, but has since come back to life. USC is 4-2 since that loss to the Cougars, earning wins over Arizona State and UCLA to enter February with a decent shot in an NCAA Tournament bid. . A notable story for USC was the arrival of big man Vince Iwuchukwu, who suffered a bout of cardiac arrest last July and whose playing status for this year was truly in doubt. He was medically cleared to play Jan. 12 and has made real contributions to USC since entering the rotation (but not the starting lineup).
Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Washington State-USC College Basketball odds.
College Basketball Odds: Washington State at USC Odds
Washington State Cougars: +7.5 (-110)
USC Trojans: -7.5 (-110)
Over: 131.5 (-104)
Minus: 131.5 (-118)
How to watch Washington State vs. USC
Television: Fox Sports 1
Stream: Fox Sports app
Time: 11:00 p.m. ET, 8:00 p.m. PT
*Watch Washington State-USC LIVE with fuboTV (Click for Free Trial)*
Why Washington State Could Cover Up the Spread
The Cougars have found a way to attack the USC defense in recent meetings. Washington State hit 14 3-pointers in the win over USC on New Years Day. Last February (2022), Washington State made 15 3-point shots against the Trojans. Wazzu is clearly trying to shoot 3-pointers in general, but he’s focused on that part of his offense against USC, and the approach is working. Add the fact that the gap is a seemingly large 7.5 points, and it becomes clear that Washington State has a great chance to cover. USC won two close games between these teams a year ago; even when USC wins in this game, it’s not easy. Cougars bother Trojans and give them a hard time. As long as Washington State’s 3-point shot doesn’t fall off a cliff, it should be in good shape to cover the spread in this game.
Why USC might be covering up the spread
The Trojans have given up 29 3-pointers to Washington State over the past two meetings with the Cougars. Certainly, this kind of statistics is bound to change. Regression to the mean will bite the Cougars in this game, and USC can comfortably win. Keep in mind that with Vince Iwuchukwu in the game — he couldn’t play against Washington State on Jan. 1 — the Trojans have a big man who can keep the fort in the paint. This will allow USC guards and wings to defend the perimeter at a much higher level of quality and consistency. This will bottle Washington State’s 3-point shot and give the Trojans the winning edge.
Washington State and USC Prediction and Final Picks
Washington state is not making it easy for USC. The gap looks at least two, maybe three points larger than it probably should be, so take WSU.
Washington State-USC Final Prediction and Picks: Washington State +7.5