The first day of the year means a lot of things to a lot of different people, but for NCAA basketball betting fans, it means the start of conference play. There are some good ones to watch on Friday, January 1, including a PAC-12 match-up that sees the USC Trojans head into Friel Court in Pullman Washington to face the Washington State Cougars. Tip-off for this one is set for 9 PM EST on the PAC-12 Network.
How to bet the Trojans vs Cougars College Basketball Odds
The USC Trojans have seen their season get off to a pretty positive start and they will likely come into this one as a favorite. You can never totally discount the home team, though, especially when they are going head to head with a conference foe. There are a lot of things to like about this match-up, and we are sure that the odds will make this one an enticing betting option. We will have full odds up at the MyBookie.ag NCAA Basketball page as soon as they become available.
We see you @Jujubilence! #FightOn https://t.co/CUobqXmJ9Q
— USC Men’s Basketball (@USC_Hoops) December 29, 2015
Why bet on the USC Trojans
After bolting out of the gate with 5 straight wins, the Trojans then fell to back to back defeats at the hands of Xavier and Monmouth. They were able to shake those off, and will now be coming into this one on a 6-game winning streak that has seen them hit triple digits twice. This is a team with the ability to score at will, and they are going to stretch the Cougars defense to the very limits. The Trojans have only had one away game this season, and they picked up a comfortable win in that one. USC is 9-3-1 ATS and 5-8-0 O/U so far this season. They are averaging 83.1 PPG, and are giving up 68.3 PPG.
Why bet on the Washington State Cougars
The 8-4 record posted by the Washington State Cougars doesn’t look all that impressive until you realize that 2 of their 4 losses this season have come against ranked opponents. The one thing that does stand out is that all 4 losses came away from home or at a neutral site, leaving the Cougars with a 6-0 record on home court. That is why you can never totally dismiss the team that is playing in front of their own fans. The Cougars are a pretty healthy 7-4-0 ATS this season, and are 5-6-0 O/U. They are averaging 75.6 PPG, and are giving up 69.7 PPG.
Expert Pick and Final Score Prediction
The USC Trojans are sitting just outside the Top 25 right now, and they know that a win might get them in, which should serve as more than enough of an incentive. Not sure if they will end up ranking, but I do think they will win.
USC Trojans 79 Washington State Cougars 69
