USC vs Utah Odds, Picks, Predictions (2/25/23)

USC is visiting Utah in a Pac-12 clash. USC is coming off a blowout win against Colorado on the road, while Utah is coming off a close home loss against UCLA. This should be an interesting matchup because both teams need to win to stay in the hunt for an NCAA Tournament bid. Let’s take a look at the odds and make some picks and predictions for this game!

USC vs. Utah Odds

USC is a 2-point road favorite against Utah and is at -130 on the money line. The over/under is also at 141.5. USC being favored makes sense because they’ve been the better team all year, even though they’re on the road. The over/under makes sense because both of these teams are very good on offense. This spread could move a bit before tip-off because it’s so low too.

USC vs. Utah Prediction & Pick

The pick: USC -2

USC needs to keep winning to feel safely in the NCAA Tournament. They’ve looked inconsistent this year and that might be the thing that does them, but a good start is this game against Utah.

USC has been lead by Boogie Ellis this year. He leads the Trojans in scoring and has been an all-around great point guard for USC this season. Drew Peterson has been great for the Trojans too on the wing. He’s second in scoring and also leads the Trojans in rebounds and assists per game for the season. Reese Dixon-Waters and Tre White have also been very good when need for the Trojans on the wing this season.

As a team, USC excels on defense more than on offense. They need to find more consistent offense from players outside of just Boogie Ellis and Drew Peterson to take that next step.

On the other side, Utah has been decent this season, but needs to be more consistent than they have been. They’re still in the hunt for the NCAA Tournament, but need help and this would be a good start.

Utah has a do-it-all center in Branden Carlson. He leads the Utes in scoring, rebounding, and blocks per game for the season. He’s been great all year. Lazar Stefanovic has had to step up more on offense thanks to injuries, but he’s already the best defender the Utes have too. Marco Anthony and Ben Carlson have also stepped up because of the injuries to Rollie Worster and Gabe Madsen.

As a team, Utah excels more on defense than on offense. They need to find more consistent offense outside of just Branden Carlson being the most consistent player on offense.

This is going to be a big matchup because whoever wins is still in the hunt for a Tournament bid. USC is the play here because of the injuries Utah is dealing with. It’s going to be a close game, but expect USC to win and cover a very close game.

USC vs. Utah Key Matchups

Can Marco Anthony matchup with Boogie Ellis? Can Joshua Morgan matchup with Branden Carlson?

Boogie Ellis vs Marco Anthony

Boogie Ellis has played like one of the best point guards in all of college basketball this season. He averages 17 points, 3 assists, and 4 rebounds per game for the season. He’ll be matched up against Marco Anthony most of the game, who averages 10 points, 2 assists, and 7 rebounds per game for the season. This is a big matchup because of how much offense Boogie Ellis accounts for. If Marco Anthony can defend him well, then Utah has a shot in this game.

Branden Carlson vs Joshua Morgan

Branden Carlson has been great for the Utes this year. He averages 16 points, 2 assists, and 7 rebounds per game for the season. He’ll be matched up against Joshua Morgan, who averages 8 points, 1 assist, and 5 rebounds per game for the season. This is a big matchup because of how much Carlson is going to be asked to do on offense for the Utes due to the injuries they’re dealing with. If Morgan can shut him down, then USC has a much better chance to win here.