USC Trojans vs UCLA Bruins Prediction, 3/8/2025 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: USC Trojans vs UCLA Bruins

Date: Saturday, March 8, 2025

Location: Pauley Pavilion in Tallahassee, FL

TV: FOX

The UCLA Bruins (21-9) are hosting the USC Trojans (15-15) at Pauley Pavilion on Saturday.

The USC Trojans took the court against Washington and walked away with a win by a score of 92-61 in their last game. USC ended the game having earned a 56.4% field goal percentage (31 out of 55) and knocked down 15 of their 26 3-point shots. When they shot from the free throw line, the Trojans knocked down 15 of their 16 attempts for a percentage of 93.8%. In terms of rebounding, they earned a total of 30 with 6 of them being offensive. They also recorded 24 assists in this matchup in addition to forcing the opposition into 16 turnovers and getting 11 steals. When discussing defense, USC allowed the other team to go 43.1% from the floor on 22 out of 51 shooting. Washington recorded 21 assists and had 5 steals for this contest. Furthermore, Washington totaled 21 rebounds (4 offensive, 17 defensive), but finished the game with no rejections. Washington walked away from this one shooting 57.1% from the charity stripe by making 8 of their 14 shots. They also buried 9 of 23 shots from long range. In regard to fouls, the Trojans ended up finishing with 17 and Washington finished the game with 19 fouls.

Chibuzo Agbo is one guy who was a contributor for the game. He went 75.0% from the floor and also recorded 4 dimes. He was on the court for 39 mins and grabbed 6 boards. He ended up with 26 points on 9 out of 12 shooting.

Get all of our NCAA Expert Picks

USC will enter this matchup with a record of 15-15 this year. They average 76.9 pts per game (99th in Division 1) while shooting 48.4% from the floor. The Trojans are shooting 37.0% on shots from distance (214 of 579) and 74.1% from the free throw line. As a team, USC is snagging 31.2 rebounds per game and has accumulated 468 dimes this year, which is 69th in the nation in terms of passing. They lose possession via turnover 11.9 times per contest and as a squad are committing 18.0 fouls every game.

On the defensive end, the Trojans are forcing 12.5 turnovers every game while drawing 18.3 fouls. They give up 32.9% on 3-point shots while they are 260th in the country in PPG allowed (74.5). The Trojans defensively are allowing an opponent FG percentage of 45.6% (779 of 1,708) and they surrender 32.1 boards per contest as a unit. They rank 311th in college hoops in giving up assists to the opposition with 449 conceded for the year.

In their last game, the UCLA Bruins went home victorious with a score of 73-69 when they played Northwestern. The Bruins collected 25 defensive boards and 13 offensive rebounds for a total of 38 for the contest. They also gave up possession 12 times, while getting 6 steals for the matchup. Northwestern had 16 personal fouls in the game which took the Bruins to the charity stripe for 16 attempts. They were able to make 12 of them for a rate of 75.0%. In reference to shooting from downtown, UCLA converted 7 out of their 23 tries (30.4%). When the game finished, the Bruins shot 27 out of 58 from the field which gave them a rate of 46.6%. The Bruins allowed Northwestern to make 25 of 53 tries from the floor which gave them a percentage of 47.2% in the game. They shot 36.8% from 3-point land via 7 of 19 and finished the game at 12 out of 14 from the free throw line (85.7%). In reference to how they cleaned up the glass, UCLA allowed Northwestern to snag 24 in total (4 on the offensive side).

Tyler Bilodeau ended up having an impact for the Bruins for this contest. He knocked down 8 of 14 for the matchup giving him a rate of 57.1%, and accounted for 3 rebounds. He earned 19 points in his 24 minutes on the court and had 2 dimes for the matchup.

UCLA has a mark of 21-9 for the season. As an offensive unit, the Bruins are connecting on 46.7% from the floor, which is 82nd in college. UCLA has earned 2,232 pts on the campaign (74.4 per game) and they grab 32.7 boards per contest. Their rate of earning assists is at 16.1 times per game (43rd in Division 1) and they lose possession by turning the ball over 10.7 times per contest. The Bruins have committed 17.5 personal fouls per contest and they shoot 70.6% from the free throw line.

The UCLA defense allows 32.0% on shots from beyond the perimeter (221 of 691) and opponents are converting on 75.1% of their shots from the free throw line. They have allowed 12.7 dimes and 31.1 boards per contest, which is ranked 140th and 26th in college hoops. The Bruins on the defensive end are ranked 24th in the nation in points allowed per game with 65.1. They are forcing 15.1 turnovers per game and have allowed teams to shoot 42.8% from the field (122nd in college hoops).

Who will win tonight's NCAA game against the spread?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take USC

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here