Check out our free Washington State vs USC pick and preview for this NCAA Basketball game in Los Angeles. See who we like to win and cover the spread in this College Basketball matchup.

Washington State vs USC Pick & Preview: Thursday, February 2nd Betting Odds

Cougars vs Trojans Matchup at a Glance

  • Sport: NCAAB
  • Teams: Washington State Cougars at USC Trojans
  • Where: Los Angeles at Galen Center
  • Date: Thursday, February 2nd
  • Betting Odds: Washington State +7, WASHST +246 | USC -315 O/U 131.5

Cougars Preview:

Washington State will take the floor against the Trojans with an overall record of 10-13. So far, the Cougars have played 9 games on the road, with a record of 2-7. For the season, Washington State has been the underdog in 10 games, sitting with a mark of 1-9. Currently, the oddsmakers have the lines set with the Cougars being +7 point underdogs.

Mouhamed Gueye comes into today’s game as the Cougars’ leading scorer at 13.26 points per contest. Not only has Gueye been key to the team’s scoring efforts, but he is Washington State’s top rebounder at 8.26 boards per contest. Behind Gueye, the team has benefited from the strong play of TJ Bamba, who is second on the team in scoring at 14.55 points per game. Overall, he has hit 41.6% of his shots and is adding 3.85 boards per game.

Offensive production has been hard to come by for Washington State this season, as they are currently ranked 175th in college basketball at 71.9 points per game. A major reason for low scoring totals is the fact that they have played at a below average pace, and have struggled to knock down outside shots. As a team, the Cougars’ 3-point shooting percentage sits at just 34.0%, placing them 256th in the NCAA.

Trojans Preview:

The USC Trojans will be looking to pick up their 22nd win of the season and are in the middle of a 2 game win streak. So far this season, USC has played 14 games at home, sitting with a record of 11-3. At the time of this article, the oddsmakers have the Trojans as the -7 point favorites. The Trojans have been favored 12 times, going 11-1 straight up.

USC will be counting on another strong performance from the team’s leading scorer Boogie Ellis who is averaging 16.29 points per game for the Trojans. Ellis is also important to the team’s ability to score on the perimeter. So far, he leads the team in 3-point shots made. Also key to the Trojans’ offensive game plan is the play of Drew Peterson who has hit 46.1% of his field goal attempts on his way to averaging 14.05 points per game.

Coming into today’s game, USC will be looking from some improved play from their offense. Currently, the Trojans are ranked 159th at 72.6 points per game. A major reason for their low scoring mumbers is the fact that they tend to work the clock on offense. This year, they are the 389th ranked team in terms of pace. When looking at their 3-point shooting numbers, USC is close to the NCAA average at 36.0%.

Free Spread Prediction: Washington State Cougars +7

In today’s matchup, our analysis has identified the best bet as an opportunity to bet on a road underdog. Coming into the game, the USC Trojans are the betting favorite with a point spread set at -7. However, we anticipate Washington State putting up a strong fight and see them covering the spread. It is likely, the the public is going to side heavily with the Trojans as the favorite. But, we see this line being set too high and like the value of taking the Cougars to cover.