The Arizona State Sun Devils likely need one more win to feel comfortable going into Selection Sunday. Can they take down the USC Trojans? Here are the best Arizona State vs. USC college basketball picks based on the top NCAAB odds.
The Sun Devils survived a much closer-than-expected game against the Oregon State Beavers on Wednesday. The Beavers, the worst team in the Pac-12 this season, were able to get the deficit to four with under one minute remaining. The Sun Devils were able to hold on and keep their NCAA Tournament hopes alive, but they will need a better effort against a team they're 0-2 against this season.
The Trojans defeated the Sun Devils in both their meetings this season, including a 68-65 win in the season finale. The Trojans have won five out of six games, with their only loss during that span coming against the Arizona Wildcats.
Here is our best Arizona State vs. USC college basketball pick (odds via BetMGM; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale).
Arizona State vs. USC odds
Arizona State vs. USC prediction
It's hard to justify taking the moneyline over the spread a lot of times, but in this instance, there are enough reasons and value to do so. Wednesday's contest was a trap game for the Sun Devils. Now that they have that game behind them, they can focus on the task at hand, which is winning one more game to get into the NCAA Tournament.
There are a few factors working in the Sun Devils' favor. First, they are definitely the more desperate team. The Trojans are already safely in the tournament according to most bracket prognosticators. Second, the Sun Devils have already played a game at T-Mobile Arena. This is a huge advantage, as they have played real minutes on the court, while the Trojans are coming into the game cold, and potentially nervous as they begin their run at a Pac-12 title.
For the Trojans, it's hard to beat a team three times, especially when you're actually quite evenly matched. In the first meeting between the two teams, the Trojans built up a massive lead in the second half, but they had no such success in the second meeting, as the Sun Devils hung around until the very end.
The Sun Devils have a lot of different players who can score the ball as well. In the last meeting between these two teams, four different players scored in double figures. With this in mind, even if one player has tired legs, there are enough others to pick up the slack. But the real key will be the Sun Devils stopping Boogie Ellis who scored 28 against them in the regular season finale. If they can keep him under control, this is their game to lose.
Check out our best March Madness odds and Wooden Award odds.
Arizona State vs. USC best odds
| DraftKings | FanDuel | BetMGM | Caesars | PointsBet |
| ASU | ASU | ASU | ASU | ASU |
| +130 | +128 | +135 | +130 | +130 |
Since this spread came out, the public has been all over the Trojans, but the oddsmakers have ignored them. Instead, the moneyline and spread have both moved in favor of the Sun Devils at nearly all of the major sportsbooks.
BetMGM is the only major sportsbook clinging to the original opening moneyline of +135. Because of that, that's the best sportsbook to bet at for Thursday's game. Get in early, however, as this line is going to continue to drop based on what oddsmakers have been doing so far.
Arizona State vs. USC odds analysis
The Trojans opened as 3.5-point favorites, and despite 70% of wagers backing them, the line has moved in favor of the Sun Devils. The number has gotten as low as 2.5 at FanDuel, and it could continue to drop if the oddsmakers feel that they have a strong read on this game.
As for the total, the number opened at 139.5, and all of the support has been on these two teams clearing it. 73% of wagers are backing the Over, yet there hasn't been that much line movement. In fact, DraftKings is the only major sportsbook to move this number up to 140. The rest have either stayed put or lowered this total.
Arizona State vs. USC game info
- Date: Thursday, March 9, 11:30 PM
- TV: ESPN
- Location: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, NV
Arizona State vs. USC pick made 3/9/2023 at 9:3 a.m. ET.
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