Colorado vs USC Prediction, Odds & Best Bet for February 23 (Don't Expect Fireworks in Pac-12 Showdown)

Colorado vs USC Game Info

• 2022-23 NCAA Basketball Regular Season Game
• Colorado (15-13, 7-10 Pac-12) vs. USC (19-8, 11-5 Pac-12)
• Date: Thursday, February 23, 2023
• Time: 9:00 PM ET
• Venue: CU Events Center -- Boulder, Colorado
• Coverage: ESPN2

The 2022-23 college basketball season continues on Thursday with an exciting matchup between the USC Trojans and Colorado Buffaloes. USC is coming off an 85-75 win over Stanford on Saturday where Boogie Ellis balled out with 33 points (9-of-16 shooting) and Drew Peterson added 21 points.

Meanwhile, Colorado fell short in a 78-68 loss to Arizona on Saturday as it shot 38.7% from the floor and tallied 13 turnovers. Tristan da Silva led the offense with 18 points, while Luke O'Brien chipped in with 9 rebounds. Which Pac-12 team will keep their NCAA Tournament hopes alive with a victory?

Colorado vs USC Odds & Spread

• All college basketball betting lines, odds and prop bets are from FanDuel Sportsbook.
• Moneyline: COLO: (-138) | USC: (+115)
• Spread: COLO: -2.5 (-110) | USC: +2.5 (-110)
• Total: 140.5 -- Over: (-110) | Under: (-110)

Colorado enters this contest as a slight home favorite on the moneyline and spread per FanDuel Sportsbook's odds. This 9 p.m. ET clash also features an over/under of 140.5 points, which is about average compared to Thursday's projected totals.

Colorado vs USC Betting Trends

• Against the spread, Colorado is 12-16-0 this season.
• As 2.5-point favorites or more, the Buffaloes are 6-12 against the spread.
• This season, 12 of Colorado's 28 games have gone over the point total.
• USC has 15 wins in 27 games against the spread this year.
• The Trojans' ATS record as 2.5-point underdogs or greater is 4-2.
• Out of USC's 27 games so far this year, 14 have hit the over.

Colorado Rank	Colorado AVG		USC AVG	USC Rank
199th	70.6	Points Scored	72.7	159th
73rd	66.1	Points Allowed	67	96th
88th	33.6	Rebounds	31.7	190th
91st	9.5	Off. Rebounds	8	227th
283rd	6.4	3pt Made	6.1	304th
186th	13	Assists	14	116th
284th	13.1	Turnovers	11.9	171st

Colorado vs USC Prediction & Pick

USC has everything needed to be a team that no one wants to run into during the NCAA Tournament. Ellis and Peterson are combining to average 31.9 points, 10.3 rebounds and 7.5 assists on a squad that ranks 66th in free throw percentage (74.9%). USC ranks 51st in defensive efficiency as well.

Being able to get stops down the stretch and build a lead at the charity stripe gives USC a shot to compete with the best of the best. Colorado has been great at home this season (11-2 record), but it's worth noting the Buffaloes rank 238th in offensive efficiency. They struggle to score the ball.

USC took down Colorado by a score of 68-61 on Jan. 12 and I expect it to secure a season sweep.

Final Score Prediction: Colorado: 66 | USC: 69

Colorado vs USC Best Bet

There's value in backing USC as a small underdog here, but there's even more value in backing a defensive battle to break out. The Trojans average only 70.7 possessions per game (No. 150 in NCAA) and should be forced to take its time against a Buffaloes team that ranks 21st in defensive efficiency.

The total has hit the under in five of Colorado's last six games overall as well as in 11 of its last 13 games against USC. The under has also cashed in four of the last five games between these teams at CU Events Center. Expect each side to feel on another out early on, leading to a low-scoring game.

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.