Auburn vs USC Prediction, Odds & Best Bet for Dec. 18 (Tigers Emerge Victorious in First Road Test)

Auburn vs USC Prediction, Odds & Best Bet for Dec. 18 (Tigers Emerge Victorious in First Road Test)

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Auburn vs USC Game Info

2022-23 NCAA College Basketball Regular Season Game
No. 19 Auburn Tigers (9-1, 0-0 Away) vs. USC Trojans (8-3, 6-1 Home)
Date: Sunday, Dec. 18, 2022
Time: 5:30 p.m. ET
Venue: Galen Center — Los Angeles, CA
Coverage: ESPN

The 2022-23 college basketball season continues on Sunday with an exciting matchup between the No. 19 Auburn Tigers and USC Trojans. Auburn bounced back on Wednesday with a 72-64 win over Georgia State. Senior Jaylin Williams led the way with 20 points (8-of-11 shooting) and 8 rebounds.

Meanwhile, USC extended its winning streak to four games with an 88-78 win over Long Beach State on Wednesday. Drew Peterson guided the way with 15 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists, while Reese Dixon-Waters added 20 points off the bench. The Trojans shot a solid 44.0% from beyond the arc.

Auburn vs USC Odds & Spread

All NCAA college basketball betting lines, odds and prop bets.
Moneyline: AUB: (-111) | USC: (-108)
Spread: AUB: -1.5 (-104) | USC: +1.5 (-118)
Total: 140.5 —Over: (-110) | Under: (-110)

Auburn enters this contest as slight road favorites on the moneyline and spread per FanDuel Sportsbook's odds. This 5:30 p.m. ET clash also features an over/under of 140.5 points, which is about average compared to Sunday's projected totals.

Auburn vs USC Prediction & Pick

This is the first road test for the Tigers this season as each of their first 10 games have been played at home or at a neutral site. Auburn prides itself on defense as it allows only 61.0 points per game (T-No. 25 in NCAA) and forces 14.9 turnovers per game (T-No. 68 in NCAA). That gets the job done.

USC has relied on a similar strategy. The Trojans allow a shooting percentage of just 37.4% (No. 12 in NCAA) and rank 46th in defensive efficiency. With each defense crushing, look for Auburn's superior offense to make all the difference. The Tigers are averaging 79.3 points over their last three games.

Auburn is also 4-2 straight up in its last six games against a Pac-12 opponent, so I trust the Tigers.

Final Score Prediction: Auburn: 69 | USC: 66

Auburn vs USC Betting Trends

- Auburn is 18-2 straight up in its last 20 games in December.
- The total has hit the over in four of Auburn's last six games.
- USC is 0-5 against the spread (ATS) in its last five home games.
- The total has hit the under in four of USC's last five games.

Auburn vs USC Best Bet

USC has won six straight home games and the chances of an upset happening makes backing Auburn on the spread quite risky. More value lies in the point total. Three of Auburn's last five games have seen less than 141 total points. The same thing can be said about four of USC's last five games.

The total has hit the under in five of the Tigers' last seven games played on a Sunday, too. Keep in mind Auburn only shoots 66.2% from the free throw line (No. 307 in NCAA), while USC checks in just a bit better at 69.6% (No. 211 in NCAA). Those kind of easy misses will allow the under to cash.

Bet: Under 140.5 Points (-110)

Larry Rupp is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Larry Rupp also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username phillyfan424. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel. 

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.