UCLA vs USC Prediction, Odds & Picks for January 5 (Bruins, Trojans Collide in Low-Scoring Pac-12 Showdown)

UCLA vs USC Prediction, Odds & Picks for January 5 (Bruins, Trojans Collide in Low-Scoring Pac-12 Showdown)

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UCLA vs USC Game Info

  • 2022-23 NCAA Basketball Regular Season Game
  • No. 10 UCLA (13-2, 4-0 Pac-12) vs. USC (11-4, 3-1 Pac-12)
  • Date: Thursday, January 5, 2023
  • Time: 9:30 PM ET
  • Venue: Pauley Pavilion -- Los Angeles, California

Thursday, Jan. 5's NCAA college basketball schedule has several games you won't want to miss, including a Pac-12 collision between the No. 10 UCLA Bruins and USC Trojans.

UCLA has absolutely been steamrolling through the competition lately, notching its 10th consecutive win with Sunday's 74-49 effort against Washington. Meanwhile, USC's seven-game winning streak came to a screeching halt with an 81-71 loss to Washington State over the weekend.

Can UCLA keep its winning ways going with another victory at Pauley Pavilion? Or will USC rebound from its latest loss with an upset on the road?

UCLA vs USC Odds & Spread

UCLA enters this contest as the clear favorite on the moneyline and spread per FanDuel Sportsbook's odds. This 9:30 p.m. ET clash also features an over/under of 140.5 points, which is about average compared to Thursday's other totals.

UCLA vs USC Betting Trends

  • UCLA is 9-6-0 against the spread this season.
  • The Bruins' ATS record as 12.5-point favorites or more is 5-2.
  • Out of 15 UCLA's games so far this year, eight have gone over the total.
  • Against the spread, USC is 7-8-0 this season.
  • This season, eight of USC's 15 games have hit the over.
UCLA Rank UCLA AVG USC AVG USC Rank
47th 79 Points Scored 72.3 177th
26th 61 Points Allowed 66.7 123rd
233rd 31.6 Rebounds 33.6 131st
150th 9.3 Off. Rebounds 8.8 182nd
295th 6.2 3pt Made 5.8 317th
75th 15.2 Assists 14.1 138th
3rd 9.1 Turnovers 13.2 257th

Best College Basketball Picks - UCLA vs USC

It's hard to find anything negative about UCLA's game recently. While the Bruins' offense has been cooking all season (79.0 PPG, T-No. 34), the defense has been quite impressive lately, holding opponents to an average of 55.5 points over the last four games.

USC's recent play has been too sloppy to like against UCLA's defense. The Trojans have averaged 16.3 turnovers in their last three games and only shot 16.7% from three-point range against Washington State. Considering how UCLA has the ability to pull ahead and create a sizeable gap at a moment's notice, USC's giveaway and three-point shooting issues make it difficult tot rust even more.

After also winning back-to-back games against its Pac-12 rival, look for UCLA to beat USC once again.

Final Score Prediction: UCLA: 71 | USC: 67

UCLA vs USC Picks

Taking the total finishing under 140.5 is the best bet for tonight's contest. On top of both Pac-12 programs possession strong defenses, the under is 6-1 in the last seven UCLA-USC clashes. Furthermore, the total finished under 140.5 points in in five of the last six bouts between these rivals.

With the total also going under in four of UCLA's last five games this season, a low-scoring affair should be expected tonight.

Bet: Under 140.5 Points (-110)

Devon Platana is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Devon Platana also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username PepeSilvia0. 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.