Arizona Wildcats (24-5) vs. USC Trojans (21-8)
March 2, 2023 11:00 pm EDT
The Line: USC Trojans +1.5 / Arizona Wildcats -1.5 ; Over/Under: 157
(Get latest betting odds)
The Arizona Wildcats and the USC Trojans meet Thursday in college basketball action from Galen Center. Arizona is 24-5 overall this year. The Wildcats lost a close one to Arizona State in their last game. As for USC, they’re 21-8 following a win over Utah on Saturday. Check back all season long for free college basketball picks at Sports Chat Place.
Arizona Wildcats
Arizona managed a solid start to the season, going 19-3 over their first 22 outings. The Wildcats have since gone 5-2 with wins over Oregon, Oregon State, California, Utah and Colorado alongside losses to Stanford and Arizona State.
Matched up against Arizona State on Saturday, the Wildcats took a 46-45 deficit into the second half. Arizona couldn’t make the comeback and eventually lost 89-88. Cedric Henderson was the leading team scorer on 19 points.
USC Trojans
Over on the Trojans’ side, they went a decent 16-6 over their first 22 games of the season. The Trojans are 5-2 in their last seven as well, beating Washington, California, Stanford, Colorado and Utah with losses to Oregon and Oregon State otherwise.
In the Utah game back on Saturday, USC didn’t have much trouble and led 34-28 by halftime. The Trojans hit a 28-21 run from there and took the win 62-49. Boogie Ellis led the team on his 16 points, three assists and four rebounds in the victory.
ANDREW’S FREE PICK
I’m going to stick with Arizona. I could see USC playing very well here also, however. The Wildcats took a tough, tough loss to Arizona State in their last outing, which halted any hope of improving on consecutive wins after the Stanford loss. The Wildcats have still got their offense working well these days, though: they’ve hit 78 or more points in eight straight games. These teams last saw each other on January 19 at McKale Center. The Wildcats took an 81-66 win in that one after a 41-26 first half. It’s going to be crucial for Arizona to get off to a good start in this rematch. If they can, I like the Wildcats to bounce back with a cover/win here. Should be a fun, competitive game to watch regardless, though.
