With the California Golden Bears on fire and the USC Trojans playing their worst basketball of the season, Sunday’s Pac-12 pairing between the longtime conference rivals looks closer to a ‘lock’ selection than anything else. With both teams looking to get into the annual NCAA tournament, let’s find out which team is the right one to back in this contest. Get the updated NCAAB online betting spread for this game here.
California Stand Off, Bet on USC Trojans vs California Golden Bears
When: Sunday, February 28, 8:00 PM
Where: Haas Pavilion, Berkeley, California
TV: FS1
Radio: USC Trojans Radio Network
Live Stream: Fox Sports 1
NCAAB Odds: Bears -8 -110
Why Bet The USC Trojans
The Trojans have lost two straight and four of their last five games including their 84-64 beatdown at the hands of Stanford on Thursday while never coming close to covering the spread as a 1-point road dog. Katin Reinhardt scored a team-high 14 points to lead the Trojans while Bennie Boatwright added 11 points and Elijah Stewart, 10.
“We just weren’t stopping them enough in the first half,” Trojans coach Andy Enfield said. “They made a lot of jump shots and played very good basketball.” USC was held to a season-low in points and were held under 70 points for the third time in its last five games.
Why Bet The California Bears
Cal has won and covered the spread in six straight games. Jabari Bird drained five shots from beyond the arc en route to a team-high 20 points as Cal spanked UCLA 75-63 on Thursday night. “I think we’re just coming together as a team,” Bird said. “We’re growing, we’re learning, We’re getting used to where guys are on the court. We’re starting to hit our stride going into March.”
Jaylen Brown added 16 points and Tyrone Wallace chipped in 14 points as Cal improved to 8-2 SU over their last 10 games.
Expert Pick & Final Score Prediction
With the home team in this rivalry winning each of the last five meetings, Cal is the easy pick here to win and cover the spread if it doesn’t top five or six points at best. USC is 1-4 ATS in its last five road games and 1-5 SU in their last six road dates against the Golden Bears. Cal has the edge in defense, rebounding and field goal shooting, not to mention a ton to play for!
