USC Trojans vs UCLA Bruins Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 01/05/2023

Game Time: 9:30 pm ET, Thursday, January 5, 2023

Venue:  Pauley Pavilion, Los Angeles, CA

Where to Watch:  ESPN

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  USC +12.5, UCLA -12.5; Over/Under:  140.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  USC +12.5, UCLA -12.5; Over/Under:  140.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  USC +12.5, UCLA -12.5; Over/Under:  140.5 points

 

USC Trojans:  11-4 (3-1) (3rd place, PAC-12)

UCLA Bruins:  13-2 (4-0) (1st place, PAC-12)

 

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USC Trojans:  4-1  last 5

UCLA Bruins:  5-0  last 5

 

USC is coming into this game with an 11-4 record overall and they are 2-1 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They are also 3-1 in their conference games this season as well. They are entering this game off of a loss against the Washington State Cougars in their last game. Drew Peterson led the team in points in that game with 16 while Kobe Johnson was next on the team with 13 points. Kobe Johnson led the team in assists in that game with 3 while Drew Peterson led the team in rebounds with 8. They were 43.1% from the field, 16.7% from 3-point range, and 75% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 72.3 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 66.7 PPG against them. USC has an ATS record of 7-8 this season and their O/U record is 8-7.

 

 

UCLA is coming into this game with a 13-2 record overall and they are 8-0 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They are also 4-0 in their conference schedule this season as well. They are entering this game on a 10 game winning streak with wins coming against the Pepperdine Waves, the Bellarmine Knights, the Stanford Cardinal, the Oregon Ducks, the Denver Pioneers, the Maryland Terrapins, the Kentucky Wildcats, the UC Davis Aggies, the Washington State Cougars, and the Washington Huskies in their last game. Adem Bona led the team in points in that game with 18 while Jaime Jaquez Jr. was next on the team with 17 points. Tyger Campbell led the team in assists in that game with 11 while Jaylen Clark led the team in rebounds with 11. They were 45.3% from the field, 39.1% from 3-point range, and 87.5% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 79 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 61 PPG against them. UCLA has an ATS record of 9-6 this season and their O/U record is 8-7.

The current betting odds have UCLA listed as a 12.5 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. UCLA enters this game as one of the best teams in the country right now ranked in the top 10 and they have been having a great season with only 2 losses in their 15 games. They have been a great team at home this year with a perfect record at home through 8 games and they have also been great in their conference games as they are undefeated through 4 games in the PAC-12. USC has not been having a bad season as they are 11-4 this year and they are even 3-1 in their conference games as they have been playing well, but the 1 conference game they did lose was on the road to Washington State who isn't a great team and they lost that game by double digits too. UCLA has been blowing out a lot of teams in their games lately as they are on a roll and they are going to have no problems in this game pulling away and keeping that lead on their home court here. The best way to place a bet here is on UCLA to cover the spread in this game.

 

USC UCLA Prediction:  Our NCAAB Pick for Thursday, January 5, 2023 (9:30 pm ET start time) is UCLA 82 USC 66.

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USC Trojans: 16-24 ATS after 2 consecutive conference games. 10-5 UNDER after 2 or more consecutive overs. 71-44 UNDER after allowing 80 points or more. 

UCLA Bruins: 22-12 ATS in all home games. 22-13 ATS after playing 2 consecutive games as a road favorite. 24-17 UNDER after 8 or more consecutive wins.

 

 

USC Trojans:  V. Iwuchukwu (F) Out indefinitely - Heart.

UCLA Bruins:  A. Bailey (G) Ques Thurs - Foot. E. Manjikian (F) Out indefinitely - Arm.

 

 

“Well, as I said, we've really improved as a basketball team,” Enfield said. “It's nice when you're improving to play ... this is a high-level game today. It was a high-level game. The fans are great. You can feel the intensity in the arena because two teams are going at it physically and both teams were very good. This is a high-level college basketball game and it's very important for us to win one of those, especially on our home court. And I think that's gonna give us more confidence as we start the Pac-12.” - Andy Enfield on his team’s improvement after a win against Auburn a few weeks ago.

 

 

“Games like this are really great learning experiences. Look, our defense got better as the game went on.” - Mick Cronin on his team after their win against Washington State. 

 

 

 

B. Ellis 

K. Johnson 

J. Morgan 

D. Peterson 

T. White

 

A. Bailey 

A. Bona 

T. Campbell 

J. Clark 

J. Jaquez

 

 

PPG: B. Ellis (16.1)

APG: D. Peterson (5.3)

Reb/G: D. Peterson (6.9)

 

PPG: J. Jaquez Jr. (17.2)

APG: T. Campbell (4.6)

Reb/G: J. Clark (6.9)

 

Coaches:

USC Trojans: Andy Enfield (10th season)

UCLA Bruins: Mick Cronin (4th season)