USC vs California 1/29/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

The California Golden Bears will travel to the Galen Center to take on the 15^th ranked USC Trojans this Saturday night in College Basketball action.

The California Golden Bears lost their 6^th straight game and dropped to 9-11 on the season after being defeated by the 7^th ranked UCLA Bruins, 81-57, this past Thursday. California had no answers on either end of the court for UCLA and could not fight back after going into halftime trailing by a 43-29 margin. California shot 46.0% from the field & 28.6% from beyond the arc while allowing UCLA to shoot 52.6% from the field & 44.4% shooting from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Golden Bears was Sam Alajiki who had 11 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, & 1 steal.

On the season, California is averaging 64.5 ppg on 43.7% shooting from the field. The Golden Bears are averaging 5.5 three-pointers per game on 33.2% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, California has been led by Jordan Shepherd (14.4 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 2.6 apg, 1.1 spg), Andre Kelly (13.5 ppg, 8.6 rpg), Grant Anticevich (10.5 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 1.2 apg), & Joel Brown (5.1 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 3.2 apg, 1.0 spg).

Defensviely, California is holding their opponents to an average of 65.3 ppg on 41.5% shooting from the field. The Golden Bears have a rebound margin of 1.9 and a turnover margin of -1.4.

The 15^th ranked USC Trojans had their 3-game winning streak snapped and dropped to 17-3 on the season after being defeated by the Stanford Cardinal, 64-61, this past Thursday. USC went into halftime with a 34-28 lead, however, the Trojans struggled offensively in the 2^nd half and could not fight back after the Cardinal took a 60-55 lead with 2:47 left in regulation. USC shot 44.9% from the field & 42.9% from beyond the arc while allowing Stanford to shoot 42.6% from the field & 42.9% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Trojans was Drew Peterson who had 14 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 block, & 2 steals.

On the season, USC is averaging 74.3 ppg on 47.2% shooting from the field. The Trojans are averaging 6.8 three-pointers per game on 36.2% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, USC has been led by Isaiah Mobley (14.4 ppg, 8.7 rpg, 3.4 apg), Chevez Goodwin (12.4 ppg, 7.2 rpg), Boogie Ellis (12.2 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 2.8 apg), & Drew Peterson (11.6 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 3.1 apg).

Defensviely, USC is holding their opponents to an average of 63.0 ppg on 37.1% shooting from the field. The Trojans have a rebound margin of 8.6 and a turnover margin of -1.2.

The Golden Bears are 13-6 ATS in their last 19 games, however, are just 2-4 ATS in their last 6 games vs. Pac-12 opponents. The Trojans are 4-2 ATS in their last 6 Saturday games, however, are just 1-6 ATS in their last 7 home games.

California has been led by their defense which ranks t-80^th in scoring defense & 105^th in defensive FG%, however, the offense has really struggled as the Golden Bears rank just 311^th in scoring offense & 200^th in FG%. USC has been solid on both ends of the court as the Trojans come into this game ranked 112^th in scoring offense, 41^st in FG%, 39^th in scoring defense, & 5^th in defensive FG%.

California has struggled since the start of conference play, and I imagine it’s not going to get much better for the Golden Bears in this one. California lost to USC at home by a 77-63 margin in early January and as I think the Golden Bears offense to struggle to put up 55 points in this one, I think Isaiah Mobley & Drew Peterson do enough offensive to cover this large home spread. Good Luck!