California vs USC 1/6/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

The 7^th ranked USC Trojans will travel to Haas Pavilion to take on the California Golden Bears this Thursday night in College Basketball action.

The 7^th ranked USC Trojans improved to 12-0 on the season after defeating the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, 67-53, on December 18^th. USC was lights out defensively throughout the game against Georgia Tech and had no trouble securing the victory after taking a 53-37 lead with 10:31 left in regulation. USC shot 48.1% from the field & 47.4% from beyond the arc while holding Georgia Tech to just 32.8% shooting from the field & 26.3% shooting from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Trojans was Boogie Ellis who had 16 points, 7 rebounds, & 2 assists.

On the season, USC is averaging 75.9 ppg on 48.8% shooting from the field. The Trojans are averaging 6.4 three-pointers per game on 35.2% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, USC has been led by Isaiah Mobley (15.0 ppg, 9.6 rpg, 2.8 apg), Chevez Goodwin (13.2 ppg, 7.1 rpg), Boogie Ellis (11.8 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 3.1 apg, 1.0 spg), & Drew Peterson (10.6 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 3.7 apg).

Defensively, USC is holding their opponents to an average of 60.7 ppg on 35.2% shooting form the field. The Trojans have a rebound margin of 7.8 and a turnover margin of -0.7.

The California Golden Bears won their 5^th straight game and improved to 9-5 on the season after defeating the Arizona State Sun Devils, 74-50, this past Sunday. California dominated Arizona State on both ends of the court throughout the game in this one and had no trouble securing the victory after going into halftime with a 41-23 lead. California shot 50.9% from the field & 47.4% from beyond the arc while holding Arizona State to 32.8% shooting from the field & 17.6% from beyond the arc.

On the season, California is averaging 66.9 ppg on 44.7% shooting from the field. The Golden Bears are averaging 5.9 three-pointers per game on 35.5% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, California has been led by Andre Kelly (14.6 ppg, 8.6 rpg, 1.0 apg), Jordan Shepherd (14.4 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 2.6 apg, 1.2 spg), Grant Anticevich (12.1 ppg, 7.8 rpg, 1.2 apg), & Joel Brown (6.1 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 3.1 apg, 1.0 spg).

Defensively, California is holding their opponents to an average of 61.6 ppg on 39.1% shooting from the field. The Golden Bears have a rebound margin of 5.4 and a turnover margin of -1.0.

The Trojans are 8-4 ATS in their last 12 games against California and 10-5 ATS in their last 15 January games. The Golden Bears are 8-1 ATS in their last 9 games and 5-1 ATS in their last 6 January games.

USC has been led by their defense which ranks 30^th in scoring defense, 2^nd in defensive FG%, & 27^th in rebound margin and also have been solid on the offensive end, ranking 96^th in scoring offense & 20^th in FG%. California has been led by their defense which ranks 41^st in scoring defense & defensive FG%, however, the Golden Bears have struggled on the offensive end and come into this game ranked just 281^st in scoring offense.

California has been playing well as of late, however, this is a team that still can struggle to put points up on the board. USC hasn’t played for a few weeks and might come out a bit rusty on the offensive side of the ball in this one, however, as their defense should have plenty of success slowing down the California offense, I think the Trojans pull away in the 2^nd and do enough to cover this mid-range spread. Good Luck!