USC vs UCLA 2/12/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

The 12^th ranked UCLA Bruins will travel to the Galen Center to take on the 21^st ranked USC Trojans this Saturday night in College Basketball action.

The 12^th ranked UCLA Bruins snapped their 2-game losing streak and improved to 17-4 on the season after defeating the Stanford Cardinal, 79-70, this past Tuesday. UCLA was outstanding on the offensive end against Stanford and had no trouble holding off the Cardinal for the victory after taking a 68-53 lead with 6:51 left in regulation. UCLA shot 54.8% from the field & 37.5% from beyond the arc while allowing Stanford to shoot 53.7% from the field & 35.0% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Bruins was Johnny Juzang who had 23 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, & 1 steal.

On the season, UCLA is averaging 77.8 ppg on 45.2% shooting from the field. The Bruins are averaging 7.0 three-pointers per game on 34.3% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, UCLA has been led by Johnny Juzang (18.1 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 1.8 apg), Jaime Jaquez Jr. (13.2 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 2.3 apg, 1.3 spg), Jules Bernard (12.8 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 1.8 apg), & Tyger Campbell (11.2 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 4.7 apg, 1.2 spg).

Defensively, UCLA is holding their opponents to an average of 65.9 ppg on 41.7% shooting from the field. The Bruins have a rebound margin of 3.4 and a turnover margin of 4.7.

The USC Trojans improved to 20-4 on the season after defeating the Pacific Tigers, 74-68, this past Tuesday. USC surprisingly had all they could handle from Pacific and trailed by a 30-22 margin at halftime, however, the offense found their rhythm in the 2^nd half and the Trojans were able to pull away after taking a 66-59 lead with 2:55 left in regulation. USC shot 45.5% from the field & 35.3% from beyond the arc while allowing Pacific to shoot 43.5% from the field & 28.0% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Trojans was Drew Peterson who had 12 points, 3 rebounds, 8 assists, 1 steal, & 4 blocks.

On the season, USC is averaging 73.3 ppg on 45.8% shooting from the field. The Trojans are averaging 6.6 three-pointers per game on 34.3% shooting from the field. Offensively, USC has been led by Isaiah Mobley (14.7 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 3.2 apg, 1.0 bpg), Boogie Ellis (12.8 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 2.8 apg), Chevez Goodwin (11.9 ppg, 6.8 rpg), & Drew Petersen (10.9 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 3.3 apg). Isaiah Mobley missed the Trojans last game due to a broken nose suffered recently against Arizona and should be considered questionable for this matchup.

Defensively, USC is holding their opponents to an average of 63.6 ppg on 38.1% shooting from the field. The Trojans have a rebound margin of 7.3 and a turnover margin of -0.9.

The Bruins are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 games and 4-4 ATS in their last 8 road games. The Trojans are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games & 1-8 ATS in their last 9 home games.

UCLA was able to snap their recent losing streak with an impressive victory over Stanford and has been outstanding on both sides of the ball this season, ranking 41^st in scoring offense & 84^th in scoring defense. USC has won 3 of their last 4 games, however, the Trojans have struggled more as of late, especially on the offensive end where they are averaging just 67.0 ppg over their last 5 games. Southern California is an impressive 10-2 at home this season, however, between the fact that the Trojans looked awful against Pacific and that I think UCLA is clearly the better team, I’m taking the Bruins to cover this small road spread. Good Luck!