California Golden Bears vs USC Trojans Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 02/16/2023

Game Time: 10:00 pm ET, Thursday, February 16, 2023

Venue:  Galen Center, Los Angeles, CA 

Where to Watch:  Fox Sports 1

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  California +16, USC -16; Over/Under:  129.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  California +16, USC -16; Over/Under:  129.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  California +16, USC -16; Over/Under:  129.5 points

California Golden Bears:  3-22 (2-12) (12th place, PAC-12)

USC Trojans:  17-8 (9-5) (4th place, PAC-12)

Do not miss out on our expert handicapper analysis! Will Rogers is on a CBB HOT STREAK on a 39-21-1 COLLEGE HOOPS RUN! Make sure you check out his picks and many more from the expert handicappers featured in the Shop Picks section.

California Golden Bears:  0-5  last 5

USC Trojans:  3-2  last 5

California is coming into this game with a 3-22 record overall and they are 0-8 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They are also 2-12 in their conference games this season as well. They are entering this game on a 9 game losing streak with losses coming against the Washington State Cougars, the Washington Huskies, the Oregon Ducks, the Oregon State Beavers, the Stanford Cardinal, the Colorado Buffaloes, the Utah Utes, the Arizona Wildcats, and the Arizona State Sun Devils in their last game. Monty Bowser and Grant Newell each led the team in points in that game with 14 while Sam Alajiki and Dejuan Clayton each were next on the team with 11 points. Joel Brown led the team in assists in that game with 7 while Kuany Kuany led the team in rebounds with 8. They were 33.9% from the field, 37% from 3-point range, and 58.8% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 59.2 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 68.7 PPG against them. California has an ATS record of 11-14 this season and their O/U record is 12-13.

USC is coming into this game with a 17-8 record overall and they are 12-1 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They are also 9-5 in their conference schedule this season as well. They are entering this game on a 2 game losing streak with losses coming against the Oregon Ducks and the Oregon State Beavers in their last game. Vincent Iwuchukwu led the team in points in that game with 19 while Drew Peterson was next on the team with 11 points. Tre White led the team in assists in that game with 3 while Drew Peterson, Boogie Ellis, and Tre White each led the team in rebounds with 8. They were 32.1% from the field, 7.1% from 3-point range, and 80.8% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 71.2 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 67 PPG against them. USC has an ATS record of 13-12 this season and their O/U record is 12-13.

The current betting odds have USC listed as a 16 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. USC has been having a good year as they are 17-8 overall and they have been one of the better teams in the PAC-12 too with a 9-5 conference record. They have really excelled in their home games though as they have a 12-1 home record and they just lost 2 games in a row that they will be looking to bounce back from with a win on their home court here. California has been having a terrible season and they are the worst team in the PAC-12 this season with no competition. They are only 3-22 overall this season and they are 2-12 in their conference games. They are also still searching for their 1st road win of the season as they are 0-8 in their road games and they are not going to find that road win here. This is a great opportunity for USC to snap a losing skid and gain some momentum again getting themselves back on a roll. California will not be able to even keep this game close with USC looking to take advantage of this bounce back opportunity. The best way to place a bet here is on USC to cover the spread in this game.

California USC Prediction:  Our NCAAB Pick for Thursday, February 16, 2023 (10:00 pm ET start time) is USC 79 California 56.

Don't miss our champion handicappers free picks and expert basketball picks today. And if you enjoyed this California Golden Bears USC Trojans prediction, be sure to drop by every day for our weekly NCAAB predictions and previews.

California Golden Bears: 12-3 ATS as a road underdog of 15.5 to 18 points. 16-9 ATS after playing a game as a home underdog. 34-17 UNDER revenging a home loss vs opponent of 10 points or more.

USC Trojans: 11-20 ATS as a favorite of 10 or more points. 17-23 ATS as a home favorite or pick. 11-6 UNDER off a loss against a conference rival.

California Golden Bears:  J. Ragsdale (G) out for season - Undisclosed. D. Askew (G) out for season - Abdominal. J. Hyder (G) out for season - Back. J. Celestine (G) out for season - Knee.

USC Trojans:  R. Dixon-Waters (G) Ques Thurs - Lower Body. J. Morgan (F) Out indefinitely - Ankle.

"I was proud of how hard our players competed. I felt like, defensively, we were terrific." - Mark Fox after his team’s loss against Arizona State in their last game.

“Our five freshmen don’t have [the] experience on the road like this. We looked like a young team at times. They’re getting better, we just have to keep working.” - Andy Enfield on his team improving in their road games this season.

D. Askew 

J. Brown 

K. Kuany 

G. Newell 

L. Thiemann

B. Ellis 

K. Johnson 

J. Morgan 

D. Peterson 

T. White

PPG: D. Askew (15.5)

APG: J. Brown (3.1)

Reb/G: L. Thiemann (6)

PPG: B. Ellis (16.3)

APG: D. Peterson (4.5)

Reb/G: D. Peterson (6.4)

Coaches:

California Golden Bears: Mark Fox (4th season)

USC Trojans: Andy Enfield (10th season)