USC Trojans vs. Oregon Ducks: Odds, Picks & Predictions
#6 Louisville avoided a near upset at home edging out Georgia Tech 68-64.
The Ohio State Buckeyes, who ranked as high as #5 and are now unranked, will look to break out of their losing ways at home on Thursday when hosting the Minnesota Golden Gophers.
Here’s a look at today’s NCAA games:
BET OF THE DAY:
UConn Huskies @ #25 Houston Cougars (-9), 9:00 PM:
- Houston has won 20 of the last 21 night games at home.
- The Cougars have a 223 W/L record at home since 2017-18. Stat courtesy of Statschecker.
#25 Houston (14-4) picked up a second straight win after edging out #16 Wichita State on the road 65-54.
The Cougars led wire-to-wire behind a balanced offensive attack from juniors Fabian White Jr. and DeJon Jarreau. White Jr. had a game-high 14 points with five rebounds and two blocks, and Jarreau added a double-double with 12 points, 10 rebounds and six assists.
The UConn Huskies (10-7) continued their recent slump on Saturday, losing to the #14 Villanova Wildcats 61-55.
UConn shot nearly 50 percent from the field yet were ice cold from three-point range, shooting 13 percent (2-of-15). Senior guard Christian Vital led the team with 13 points and eight rebounds.
The Cougars and Huskies are two teams trending in completely different directions - Houston has won seven of the last eight games, and UConn has lost four of the last five.
I’m riding the hot hand and taking Houston to cover at home (-9).
2u - Houston Cougars (-9) @ -110
Minnesota Golden Gophers @ Ohio State Buckeyes (-7.5), 6:30 PM:
- The home team has won each of Minnesota’s last seven games. Stat courtesy of Statschecker.
Ohio State (12-6) has experienced a tough fall from grace over the last month, and it continued on Saturday when they lost 90-76 against Penn State.
The Buckeyes defense was non-existent as the Nittany Lions shot over 50 percent from the field and over 47 percent from three-point range. Team-leading scorer Kaleb Wesson totaled 19 points, five rebounds and four assists.
Ohio State has hit an all-time low, falling from #21 to unranked over the weekend having lost five of the last six games and six of the last nine.
Minnesota (10-8) stumbled on the road and snapped a two-game winning streak, falling to Rutgers 64-56. Daniel Oturu did most of the heavy lifting for Minnesota, scoring 19 points with nine rebounds, two blocks and a steal.
The Golden Gophers have lost all six of their road games this season (0-6). Despite defeating Ohio State by 12 in mid-December, Minnesota’s road struggles are even more alarming than the Buckeyes.
Although Ohio State has had a tough month, I’m rolling with the Buckeyes to figure it out at home and cover (-7.5).
1u - Ohio State Buckeyes (-7.5) @ -110
USC Trojans @ #12 Oregon Ducks (-9), 11:00 PM:
- Oregon has won each of the last 15 games at home.
- The Ducks have a 41 W/L record at home against USC since 2014-15. Stat courtesy of Statschecker.
#12 Oregon (15-4) got back on track and avoided a near road upset by overcoming a 16-point second-half deficit, defeating the Washington Huskies in overtime 64-61.
Payton Pritchard’s sharp shooting brought the Ducks back as he knocked down six three-pointers, including the game winner in overtime. Pritchard had 22 points and freshman forward Chandler Lawson a double-double off the bench with 16 points and 12 rebounds.
USC Trojans (15-3) battled back from a 20-point half-time deficit and forced overtime before edging out the Stanford Cardinals 82-78.
Freshman forward Onyeke Okongwu scored a team-high 22 points with nine rebounds and four blocks. Senior guard Jonah Mathews added 19 points, five rebounds and three steals.
The Trojans have been a scrappy team all season and as a result are sitting at the top of the PAC-12 standings (4-1). Right behind them are the Ducks at (4-2), which makes this game an early-season test of divisional seeding and bragging rights.
Oregon has yet to lose at home this season and I’m not betting against them this time around. Take the Ducks to cover (-9).