Utah Utes vs USC Trojans Prediction, 1/2/2021 College Basketball Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Utah Utes vs USC Trojans

Date: Saturday, January 2, 2021

Location: Galen Center in Los Angeles, CA

TV: PAC12

Odds/Point Spread: Utah (+5.5)

The USC Trojans (5-1) play the Utah Utes (4-1) at Galen Center on Saturday. USC opens this contest as 5.5-point favorites. The total is set at 139.5.

Utah steps onto the hardwood with a win-loss record of 4-1 so far this season. The Utes are connecting on 34.7% on three-point shots (35 of 101) and 72.5% from the free throw line. They currently have an average of 73.8 pts per game (154th in the country) while hitting 43.4% from the field. They turn it over 11.0 times per contest and as a squad they commit 15.8 fouls on a nightly basis. As a team, Utah is snagging 34.2 boards per game and has tallied 84 assists on the season, which ranks 228th in the nation in terms of passing the ball. When they are on defense, the Utes are forcing 18.4 turnovers every game while drawing 18.6 fouls. They are 51st in college hoops in giving up assists to their opponents with 63 relinquished for the campaign. The Utes defense is giving up and opponent field goal percentage of 40.7% (118 of 290) and they surrender 39.6 boards per game as a team. They give up 25.7% on shots from beyond the perimeter while they are 40th in college basketball in PPG allowed (62.2).

The Utah Utes faced off with the Idaho Vandals and took home the win by a score of 79-41 in their last contest. Utah finished the game with a 40.0% field goal percentage (26 of 65) and converted 6 out of their 23 3-point attempts. From the charity stripe, the Utes knocked down 21 of 23 tries for a rate of 91.3%. With respect to rebounding, they compiled 42 with 14 of them being offensive. They also distributed 16 assists for the contest while getting 13 steals and 6 blocks. Regarding defense, Utah allowed their opponent to shoot 40.0% from the field on 26 of 65 shooting. Idaho distributed 8 dimes and had 8 steals for this game. Additionally, the Vandals totaled 30 rebounds (7 offensive, 23 defensive) and added 6 blocks. Idaho finished the game shooting 83.3% from the charity stripe by knocking down 5 of their 6 attempts. They also made 4 of their 23 attempts from distance.

Timmy Allen is one player who was a major contributor for the contest. He ended up finishing with 22 points on 6 out of 13 shooting. He saw the court for 25 mins and collected 6 boards. Allen went 46.2% from the field and totaled 2 assists. One more player that was a determining factor in this game for the Utes was Pelle Larsson. He collected 3 rebounds and had 2 dimes. He went 50.0% from the floor in this game by shooting 4-of-8 (15 points). When all was said and done, Larsson played 20 min.

USC has a win-loss mark of 5-1 on the year. The Trojans commit 17.3 fouls per contest while shooting 60.1% from the free throw line. They are earning an assist 14.5 times per game (129th in the nation) and they turn it over 12.7 times per game. USC has accounted for 485 pts for the season (80.8 per game) and they pull down 43.2 boards per game. As an offensive unit, the Trojans are connecting on 49.2% from the field, which is 59th in the country. The Trojans defensively are ranked 52nd in college hoops in points per game surrendered with 63.7. The USC defense concedes 30.8% on 3-point shots (44 of 143) and opponents are knocking down 65.3% of their free throw attempts. They have allowed 11.5 dimes and 34.8 boards per contest, which is ranked 96th and 153rd in those categories. They are forcing 13.7 turnovers per game and have allowed teams to shoot 35.5% from the floor (6th in D-1).

When they last stepped on the court, the USC Trojans got the victory with a final of 86-63 against the Santa Clara Broncos. The Trojans pulled down 26 defensive rebounds and 15 offensive rebounds totaling 41 in the game. They blocked 7 attempts while earning 7 steals in the game. The Broncos had 18 personal fouls in this matchup which got the Trojans to the free throw line for a total of 19 shots. They were able to convert 11 of the free throws for a percentage of 57.9%. With respect to shooting from beyond the arc, USC buried 7 of 14 tries (50.0%). When this game wrapped up, the Trojans finished shooting 34 for 73 from the field which had them shooting 46.6%. The Trojans allowed the Broncos to make 23 of their 61 attempts from the floor which left them with a rate of 37.7% for the game. They finished 11.8% from beyond the arc by shooting 2 out of 17 and finished the game at 15 out of 24 at the free throw line (62.5%). In regard to rebounding, USC permitted Santa Clara to get 37 overall (11 on the offensive glass).

Evan Mobley pitched in for the Trojans for this game. He knocked down 6 of 7 for the contest for a field goal rate of 85.7%, which had him sitting at 17 points. Mobley snagged 7 boards in his 25 minutes played and accounted for 2 assists in this matchup. Someone else who came through for USC was Tahj Eaddy. He was able to score 13 points in 29 minutes on the hardwood via 5 out of 13 shooting in this matchup. Eaddy finished going 38.5% from the field as well as contributing 2 dimes and 6 boards.

Who will win tonight's college basketball game against the spread?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take USC (-5.5)

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