Published Feb 23, 11:08pm ET by
Gabriel Kozlow - Betting Preview Analyst and Sports Writer
Last updated Feb 23, 11:08pm ET
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Updated Feb 23, 11:08pm ET
We have a Big Ten rivalry between two crosstown foes as the USC Trojans visit the UCLA Bruins at Pauley Pavilion. A home win for the Bruins should give a boost to their March Madness predictions and get them one step closer to Selection Sunday.
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| UCLA BRUINS | -6.5 (-105) |
| USC TROJANS | +6.5 (-105) |
The USC Trojans are 18–9 overall and 7–9 in conference play, sitting in the bottom half of the standings. They are coached by Eric Musselman, who is still trying to help his team find its groove and fight to increase their March Madness odds of making the tournament.
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Their star player, Chad Baker-Mazara, is averaging 18.4 PPG and serves as their primary playmaker. They recently lost Rodney Rice to a shoulder injury, so they’ll be counting on increased production from Ezra Ausar, Alijah Arenas, and Jacob Cofie.
UCLA is also in a similar situation as their crosstown rivals, sitting mid-table in the Big Ten. Their record is the same as USC at 18–9, but they have a better conference mark. Mick Cronin was caught in a bit of a social media storm last week. However, he managed to shift the narrative with that one-point win over Illinois.
UCLA is built around its star offensive weapon, Tyler Bilodeau, who averages 18.1 PPG while shooting 51.4% from the field, 45.6% from three, and 86.2% from the line. He also leads the team in rebounds, making him their go-to option on both ends of the floor.
The Bruins are motivated coming off their win against the Illini, and they come into this game as -6.5 favorites. The over/under is 150.5, as we expect a high-scoring matchup.
With both USC and UCLA fighting for position in the Big Ten Conference, this crosstown battle could shift their March Madness odds, especially if USC can steal a road win at Pauley Pavilion. However, our pick is the Bruins -6.5.
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Pick
UCLA Bruins -6.5
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