Our USC vs. Washington prediction based on the best college basketball odds expects a high-scoring game between two struggling programs out west.
In what will be the last season of the Pac-12, it's been a down year with just two programs from the conference projected to be playing in the NCAA Tournament, per Joe Lunardi. The Pac-12 has no true contenders by the March Madness odds.
Few teams emphasize the struggles of the conference this season more than the USC Trojans. Andy Enfield's team was expected to be one of the splashier programs on the West Coast with a freshman class led by Isaiah Collier and Bronny James, however, the Trojans have underachieved at 11-17. Now, USC is headed north to take on a Washington Huskies program that hasn't fared much better in conference play.
In his seventh year at the helm, Huskies head coach Mike Hopkins is still struggling to get h is team over the hump. The Washington program is set to miss the Big Dance for the fifth straight season, which has him on the hot seat.
Despite a winning overall record, Washington sits 8-10 in Pac-12 play and its poor defensive performances have been its downfall. While neither of these teams have impressed this season, they've shown the ability to light up the scoreboard.
Here is our best USC vs. Washington prediction and our college basketball picks (odds via our best March Madness betting sites; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale).
USC vs. Washington prediction
Best odds: -110 via bet365
Even though Washington has limped to a 16-13 record this season, its offense has been one of the best in the country, scoring 81.2 points per game with an offense that's 27th in adjusted tempo, per KenPom. Behind the 30th-highest-scoring offense in college basketball, the Huskies rank 34th in adjusted offensive efficiency and third in the Pac-12 in offensive rating, per EvanMiya. The play of Keion Brooks has been the biggest difference for the Huskies with the forward scoring a Pac-12-leading 21.3 points per game.
Beyond Brooks, the Huskies have Kentucky transfer Sahvir Wheeler (14.4 points) and Portland transfer Moses Wood (11.9 points). Those three have helped the Huskies shoot 46.6% from the floor, 53.7% from two, and 35.1% from three in conference play and should be able to exploit a USC team that's 99th in adjusted defensive efficiency.
The Trojans are allowing 75.9 points per game to Pac-12 opponents and have been one of the worst perimeter defenses in the country. USC ranks 339th in 3-point percentage allowed while allowing teams to shoot 38.9% from three in conference play.
The only thing holding USC together this season has been the combo of Boogie Ellis (16.5 points) and Isaiah Collier (16.3 points). Those two have chipped in enough for the Trojans put up 74.1 points per game and shoot 44.8% from the floor and 34.8% from three. What should really help Enfield's program is how dreadful Washington's defense has been this season.
The Huskies are last in Pac-12 play in points allowed per game (78.8) and rank 100th in adjusted defensive efficiency. Hopkins' squad is letting Pac-12 opponents shoot 45.6% from the floor and 36.6% from three while allowing 20.6 twos per game, second most in the conference. Two bad defenses and three of the top-12 players in OBPR in the Pac-12 should mean plenty of points in Seattle.
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USC vs. Washington best odds
| DraftKings | FanDuel | BetMGM | Caesars | bet365 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Over 154.5 | Over 155 | Over 154.5 | Over 154.5 | Over 154.5 |
| -110 | -110 | -110 | -110 | -110 |
All of our best sports betting sites are on the same page with the game total for this matchup. For all of its struggles, Washington's offense has been dynamic this season, playing fast and scoring efficiently, while its defense has been one of the worst units in the sport. That tends to mean a high total, especially when playing a team like USC, which has two high-volume scorers.
The Huskies' last four games all finished with a total of at least 162 points and the Over in this game would be enticing up to 158.5. Anything above that starts to get dicey with USC's inconsistencies this season. It's rare to find odds on a game total that deviate much from -110, with 52.38% implied probability (according to our odds converter), but Over 154.5 on this matchup has value up to -120.
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USC vs. Washington odds
USC vs. Washington odds analysis
The Washington Huskies opened as 4.5 to 5.5-point home favorites at our best sports betting apps. The line has shifted down slightly with USC a 4.5-point road dog at most books. FanDuel stands out for offering the Huskies -4.5 at -106. Washington is 16-13 ATS this season while the Trojans are 13-15.
< p class=''>Given Washington's style of play, the game total opened between 153.5 and 154.5 with our best sportsbooks all seeing it trend up. This game total could be as high as 156.5 come tip-off. On the season, USC is 18-10 betting the Over and Washington is 16-13.
USC vs. Washington game info
- When: Saturday, March 2 at 4 p.m. ET
- Where: Alaska Airlines Arena, Seattle, WA
- How to watch: CBS
USC-Washington prediction made Saturday at 8:30 a.m. ET.
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