Very big game from the Pac-12 Conference on Thursday night between NCAA Tournament bubble teams as Arizona visits Southern Cal – both are also looking for a top-four finish in the conference regular-season standings. The Mybookie NCAAB odds will be determined around two Trojans who are in question due to illness/injury. Let’s see how the College Basketball odds will be for the Arizona vs USC.

Arizona vs USC 2020 College Basketball Game Preview & Betting Odds

• When: Thursday, 10 PM ET
• Where: Galen Center
• TV: ESPN
• Opening NCAAB Lines: TBA

Arizona vs USC Season Series

On Feb. 6, Arizona beat visiting USC 85-80. Nico Mannion scored 20 points, and Zeke Nnaji and Josh Green each added 18 to lead the Wildcats – they are all freshmen. The Wildcats led by as many as 20 during the second half, pushing to a 63-43 advantage with 12:55 remaining. USC slowly chipped away and pulled within 83-80 with five seconds left on a 3-pointer by Jonah Mathews, but Mannion responded with a pair of free throws to stop the rally. The Trojans were led by freshman Onyeka Okongwu with 23 points. Daniel Utomi added 22. USC lost despite shooting 28 of 56 (50%) from the field.

Why Bet on Arizona?

Arizona (19-8, 9-5) comes off a 73-72 overtime home loss to No. 14 Oregon on Saturday that ended the Wildcats’ three-game winning streak and essentially ended their chances of winning the Pac-12 regular-season title. Payton Pritchard scored a career-high 38 points and Shakur Juiston added all of Oregon’s points in overtime.

Pritchard played all 45 minutes and was the only player on either team who never came out of the game. Juiston was the unlikely star in overtime and his layup with 1.4 seconds left was the winner. Arizona had one more great opportunity but Christian Koloko missed two free throws with a second left that could have tied or won the game.

Arizona led 64-58 with 3:27 left in regulation but the Wildcats went cold and Pritchard hit six straight free throws to pull the Ducks even with 15 seconds left. Arizona’s Josh Green missed two free throws with 2.5 seconds remaining that would have put the Wildcats ahead.

Arizona has now lost three times by one point exactly this season, blowing a late lead in all of them. The Wildcats have one of the best offenses in the nation — 16th in KenPom — but they generally struggle to hit shots down the stretch. When asked why Zeke Nnaji, the team’s most efficient scorer, has not been fed the ball in those situations, Coach Sean Miller said “at the end of the game a drive is just really big.”

“Most of the time the game is going to be won not on the first shot, but the second shot, as evidenced by what Oregon did to us,” Miller said, referring to Will Richardson getting the offensive rebound and dishing to Juiston for the game-winning layup.

A win here would give Miller a 20-win season for the 13th time in 16 years as a head coach. UA leads the Pac-12 in scoring overall (78.4) and in conference games (73.1). Arizona’s 1.37-to-1 assist/turnover ratio is 11th in the country, while UA leads the Pac-12 in turnover margin.

Arizona is one of 8 teams in the country to have a top 25 rated offense and defense according to KenPom, joining Kansas, Baylor, San Diego State, Duke, Michigan State, Ohio State and Michigan.

Team Stats

• Total Score: 78.15
• Field Goal %: 45.62
• Three Point %: 35.93
• Free Throw %: 73.18
• Total Rebounds: 37.52

Defense

• Total Score: 65.3
• Field Goal %: 39.63
• Three Point %: 32.07
• Free Throw %: 71.15
• Total Rebounds: 33.67

Why Bet on USC?

Southern Cal (19-9, 8-7) lost a second game in a row Sunday, 79-65 at Utah. Trailing by as many as 15 points earlier in the second half, USC ripped off three straight baskets culminating in a 3-pointer from Elijah Weaver to cut Utah’s lead to 67-62 with 3:45 left. After Rylan Jones drew the charge on the Trojans’ ensuing possession, Alphonso Plummer followed with a 3-pointer that sparked a game-ending 12-3 run for the Utes. Utah, which snapped a three-game losing streak, shot 48% (27 of 56) from the field and 3-point range (10 of 21).

Freshman Onyeka Okongwu had his 10^th double-double of the year for USC with 18 points and 12 rebounds. Senior Nick Rakocevic (illness) started the game but only logged five minutes. Freshman Isaiah Mobley suffered an ankle injury late in the first half and only played four minutes at the start of the second. Rakocevic (8.8) and Okongwu (8.8) are one of three pairs of teammates in Division I averaging 8.8 rebounds or more per game.

Senior guard Jonah Mathews has been a leader for USC. The captain has had a strong season this year, scoring 360 points — the second most on the team — through an average of 31.8 minutes per game, more than any other Trojan. Mathews also has 22 more 3-pointers than any other Trojan at 60, but he had just nine points vs. Utah.

USC has gone 6-7 in its last 13 games after starting the season 13-2. USC is now in sixth place in the Pac-12 standings after being as high as first earlier this season. The Trojans, who are 11-2 at Galen Center, will be playing at home for the rest of the season.

Southern Cal has won six of its last nine games vs. Arizona at home, but trails in the all-time series 68-43 (with one win for each team vacated due to NCAA penalty, original record 69-44).

Team Stats

• Total Score: 71.32
• Field Goal %: 43.82
• Three Point %: 34.63
• Free Throw %: 66.72
• Total Rebounds: 38.89

Defense

• Total Score: 67.32
• Field Goal %: 39.18
• Three Point %: 32.34
• Free Throw %: 68.57
• Total Rebounds: 35.39

Arizona vs USC Game Trends

• Arizona are 12-4 SU in their last 16 games against USC.
• The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Arizona’s last 5 games on the road.
• The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Arizona’s last 8 games when playing on the road against USC.
• USC are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games.
• The total has gone UNDER in 4 of USC’s last 5 games.

Arizona vs USC Expert Prediction

Arizona 71, USC 69