Published Feb 18, 5:10pm ET by
Gabriel Kozlow - Betting Preview Analyst and Sports Writer
Last updated Feb 18, 5:10pm ET
We have a Big Ten college basketball matchup as the USC Trojans host the Illinois Fighting Illini at the Galen Center in Los Angeles. Illinois is trying to catch Michigan in the race for the conference title, while USC is trying to salvage its season and make a push for March Madness.
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| USC TROJANS | +9.5 (-105) |
| ILLINOIS FIGHTING ILLINI | -9.5 (-105) |
Illinois to Flex Elite Offense in Los AngelesThe 10th-ranked team in the nation, Illinois, is currently 21–5 overall with a 12–3 conference record. If they continue to rack up wins, they’ll have a chance at a potential Big Ten title and a No. 1 or No. 2 seed in the March Madness tournament. There is no doubt they are an elite team, with a balanced offense, plenty of size, and a strong rebounding edge over opponents.
It’s hard to choose between their two star players, Keaton Wagler and David Mirkovic. Wagler is a three-point wizard, shooting 43.2% from outside, whereas Mirkovic is a great interior scorer with a real knack for rebounding. Expect Illinois to lean heavily on those two to lead the way at USC.
USC is having an alright season, but it’s just that — alright. The Trojans are 18–7 overall with a mediocre 7–7 record in the Big Ten. They’ll need to focus on their defense to have a shot, as they’ve been allowing 76 PPG to opponents this season.
If the Trojans can put together a good defensive night, they should be able to contend behind their trio of Chad Baker-Mazara, Alijah Arenas, and Ezra Ausar. If you trust historic stats, USC does lead the all-time series against the Fighting Illini — but this program has seen better days, and they’ll need one of their best performances of the year to keep up with Illinois.
On paper, it looks like an easy win for Illinois, who come in as -9.5 favorites. The over/under is 150.5, and the moneyline is -470 on Illinois and +360 on USC. The Galen Center crowd will need to be on its A-game if the Trojans are going to have a real chance to pull off the upset.
The Illini are masters of their craft on offense and are highly motivated to catch Michigan in the Big Ten race, so we feel they’ll deliver a statement game here. Our pick is Illinois -9.5 on the spread for this matchup.
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Pick
Illinois Fighting Illini -9.5
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