Washington State vs USC 1/1/23 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds
USC Trojans (11-3) vs. Washington State Cougars (5-9)
January 1, 2023 3:00 pm EDT
The Line: Washington State Cougars -1.5 / USC Trojans +1.5; Over/Under: +133.5
(Get latest betting odds)
The USC Trojans and the Washington State Cougars meet in college basketball action from the Friel Court on Sunday.
The USC Trojans will look to build on an 80-67 win over Washington in their last game. Boogie Ellis leads the Trojans in scoring with 16.4 PPG along with 3.1 RPG and 2.5 APG while Drew Peterson has 13.9 PPG with team-highs of 6.8 RPG and 5.6 APG to lead the Trojans in rebounding and assists this season. As a team, USC is averaging 72.4 PPG on 46.2% shooting from the field, 33.5% from three and 71.1% from the foul line this season.
The Washington State Cougars will try to bounce back from a 67-66 loss to UCLA last time out. TJ Bamba leads the Cougars in scoring with 16 PPG along with 4.4 RPG while Mouhamed Gueye has 13.9 PPG with a team-high 8.9 RPG to lead the Cougars on the glass this season. Jabe Mullins has 11.3 PPG while Justin Powell has 10.1 PPG with 3.6 RPG and a team-high 3.2 APG to lead the Cougars in assists while also rounding out the group of double-digit scorers for Washington State so far this season. As a team, Washington State is averaging 68.5 PPG on 43.6% shooting from the field, 35.3% from three and 73% from the foul line this season.
USC is 3-8 ATS in their last 11 games following an ATS win and 2-7 ATS in their last 9 games against a team with a losing record while the under is 6-2-1 in their last 9 games against a team with a losing record. Washington State is 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games following an ATS win and 1-5 ATS in their last 6 home games against a team with a road winning percentage above .600 while the under is 8-1 in their last 9 games following a loss.
I get the case to be made for Washington State at home, but while you could consider Washington State battle tested for the tough run of teams they’ve had to go up against, the reality is that they’ve faltered in a lot of those games and it’s not like USC is any easier. The Trojans already have a pair of road wins and covers under their belt this season and side-by-side, I feel that the Trojans are just the better team here. Give me USC and the points.
