The USC Trojans (15-17, 8-12 P12) meet up with the Arizona Wildcats (24-7, 15-5 P12) in the Pac-12 tournament quarterfinals Thursday afternoon. These two teams played just five days ago when USC upset the Pac-12 regular season champion Wildcats 78-65.
Overall, USC has had a very disappointing season but has started to turn it around as of late with 4 straight wins. Arizona has been one of the nation’s top teams since the start of the season. The Wildcats are still in the running for a #1 seed in the NCAA tournament, but a loss here would pretty much take them out of any consideration for it.
Will USC keep their slim postseason hopes alive with yet another shocker over Arizona, or will the Arizona Wildcats get revenge and march on to the semi-finals on Friday night?
USC Trojans vs Arizona Wildcats Betting Odds and Details
|
Team |
Spread |
Total |
MoneyLine |
|
USC |
+9 -105 |
O 156.5 -110 |
+340 |
|
Arizona |
-9 -115 |
U 156.5 -110 |
-440 |
|
**Odds Courtesy of DraftKings** |
|||
USC Trojans vs Arizona Wildcats Game Details
- Fixture: USC Trojans vs Arizona Wildcats
- Date and Time: March 14th @ 3pm EST
- Location: T-Mobile Center in Las Vegas, NV
Apex Tale of the Tape
|
USC Trojans |
vs. |
Arizona Wildcats |
|
15-17 |
Record |
24-7 |
|
74.7 |
Points Per Game |
89.5 |
|
45.3% |
FG% |
49.2% |
|
35.6% |
3PT% |
37.4% |
|
34.2 |
Rebounds Per Game |
42.9 |
|
74.5 |
Points Allowed Per Game |
73.2 |
|
43% |
Defensive FG% |
42.5% |
|
36.1% |
Defensive 3PT% |
33.7% |
|
74.2% |
Defensive FT% |
71.1% |
|
24.5 |
Defensive Rebounds Per Game |
23.2 |
|
4-1 |
Last 5 W-L |
4-1 |
Key Stats
USC Trojans
The 2023–24 Trojans have been the biggest disappointment in the Pac-12 this season, finishing 9th. Coming off a 22-win season and another NCAA tournament appearance, USC was expected to be near the top of the conference. Additionally, star guard Boogie Ellis decided to come back for his senior season, and they also landed top recruits Isaiah Collier and Bronny James. Needless to say, expectations have not been met with this abundance of talent. However, they have won 4 straight games and are starting to play to their potential.
Arizona Wildcats
For the Arizona Wildcats this year, it is Final Four or bust. They have all the pieces and are geared for a deep run in March. It starts here in the final Pac-12 tournament before the league dissolves next season. They are led by UNC transfer and Pac-12 player of the year, guard Caleb Love. Also in the backcourt, they have much improved sophomore Kylan Boswell and reliable three-point shooter Pelle Larsson. Additionally, down low, center Oumar Ballo will put up 15 points and snag 10 boards in his sleep. Arizona has won the last 2 Pac-12 tournaments and would love to turn the lights off on the Pac-12 with their third in a row.
Game Prediction
USC winning last week could sway a lot of people to bet on them to cover the 9 points here. I look at that game as an outlier, as Arizona has been a great team all year, while USC has just had a good 2 weeks. Let’s not overreact to one game where the Wildcats shot 38% from the field and had 18 turnovers. I have the Arizona Wildcats covering the spread and moving on to Friday night.
Final Pick
Arizona Wildcats -9
About the Author
Follow Cory on X @cory_pappas1 for more college basketball game previews/picks as we approach March Madness! Check out all the great content Total Apex Sports has to offer. Check us out on X @TotalApexSports and our other sites: Total Apex Sports Bets and Total Apex Fantasy Sports.
