Arizona vs USC: Odds, Picks, Predictions (3/2/23)

Arizona visits USC in a big showdown in the Pac-12. Arizona is coming off a stunning loss to Arizona State at home, while USC is coming off a comfortable road win against Utah. This should be an interesting matchup for the Pac-12 standings and the NCAA Tournament seeding. Let’s take a look at the odds and make some picks and predictions for this game!

Arizona vs. USC Odds

Arizona is a 2-point road favorite against USC, but there’s no money line odds listed just yet. The over/under is also at 155.  Arizona being favored here makes sense because they’re the better team, despite being on the road. Arizona also has more to play for than USC. The over/under also makes sense because of the pace the game will be played at with Arizona controlling it, and also USC being a decent team on offense too. This spread could move a bit because it’s so small too.

Arizona vs. USC Prediction & Pick

The pick: Arizona -2

Arizona struggled against Arizona State and is now going on the road for the start of their toughest road trip. This is a perfect spot for Arizona to rebound against a decent opponent before the UCLA game.

Azuolas Tubelis is Arizona’s best player and he needs to play better. He hasn’t played well recently, and he wasn’t good against Arizona State. This is a great spot for him to rebound. He leads the team in scoring and in rebounding for the season. Oumar Ballo has been very good too, but he might be injured. He’s second on the team in scoring and leads the team in blocks per game for the season. Courtney Ramey and Kerr Kriisa have been very good recently after being inconsistent early-on this season. Ramey leads the team in steals per game for the season, while Kriisa leads the whole conference in assists per game for the season.

As a team, Arizona excels more on offense than on defense. They’re top five in points scored at 83 points per game for the season, they’re top-10 in field goal percentage, and they’re third in assists per game for the season at 19.5.  They’re top-10 in rebounds per game for the season.

On the other side, USC is on the bubble still, but they should be safely in the NCAA Tournament for now. They have enough good wins and are benefiting from other teams slipping up too.

Boogie Ellis is one of the most underrated point guards in the entire country. He’s capable of taking over games when needed for the Trojans. He leads the team in scoring this year and is easily their best offensive player. Drew Peterson has also been very good for the Trojans this year on the wing. He leads the team in rebounds and assists per game for the season. Reese Dixon-Waters and Tre White have also been good when needed for the Trojans on the wing too.

As a team, USC is solid on both offense and defense. They have a lot of athletes and can be versatile on both offense and defense because of that.

Arizona is the better team than USC and even though it’s a road game, Arizona is going to want to rebound after the way it lost last week. This is going to be a close game, but Arizona should win outright because they have more to play for than USC. Expect Arizona to cover and win outright before a huge game on Saturday against UCLA.

Arizona vs. USC Key Matchups

Can Joshua Morgan matchup against Azuolas Tubelis? Can Kerr Kriisa matchup against Boogie Ellis?

Azuolas Tubelis vs Joshua Morgan

Azuolas Tubelis has been great for Arizona, but needs to play better now. He averages 20 points, 2 assists, and 9 rebounds per game for the season. He’ll be matched up against Joshua Morgan most of the game, who averages 7 points, 1 assist, and 5 rebounds per game for the season. Tubelis has a decent matchup against Morgan, but he should have an advantage there. This is a big matchup because Tubelis needs to rebound for Arizona.

Boogie Ellis vs Kerr Kriisa

Boogie Ellis has been the best player for USC this year. He averages 17 points, 3 assists, and 4 rebounds per game for the season. He’ll be matched up against Kerr Kriisa most of the game, who averages 11 points, 6 assists, and 2 rebounds per game for the season. This is a big matchup because Kriisa is very streaky, while Ellis is more consistent. This is a big matchup because these two are the players that make each team go at the point guard spot.