The quarterfinals of the Pac-12 Tournament features the No. 2 USC Trojans taking on the No. 7 Utah Utes at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Thursday.
Utah advanced to the second round of the Pac-12 postseason with a high-scoring 98-95 win over Washington that wasn’t as close as it looks. Now, that potent Utes offense faces Southern Cal’s stingy defense. These teams split their regular season meetings, most recently a 71-61 Utah victory in Salt Lake City on February 27.
Enjoy our college basketball betting free picks and predictions for Utah vs. USC on March 11.
Utah vs USC odds
Sharp money and line movement report
By Patrick EversonSouthern Cal hit PointsBet USA’s odds board at -6.5 Wednesday night and by midmorning today got to -7.5, where the line rests at 5:30 p.m. ET. “Sixty-one percent of bets and 68 percent of money on USC,” PointsBet’s Wyatt Yearout said. The total is down a point to 139.5, with ticket count 2/1 and money approaching 4/1 on the Under.
Check out the full line movement for this gameUtah Utes vs USC Trojans betting preview
Injuries
Utah: Rylan Jones G (Questionable).
USC: Isaiah White F (Questionable).
Find our latest NCAA basketball injury reports.
Betting trend to know
Utah has covered in seven of the past 10 matchups with Southern California. Find more NCAA betting trends for Utah vs. USC.
Against the spread (ATS) pick
The Utes posted 98 points for the second straight game, following a blowout win over Arizona State in the season finale with a back-and-forth battle against Washington in the Pac-12 Tournament opener. Utah -8 bettors were burned by a UW backdoor cover, holding a 93-81 lead with less than two minutes remaining then watching the Huskies finish the game on a 14-8 run.
The fact Utah scored 98 and didn’t cover is a tough pill to swallow, but you’ve got to like the Utes’ hot hands coming into this quarterfinal matchup. They knocked down 14-of-26 3-point attempts and have connected on 39-of-81 shots from beyond the arc in the past four games (48 percent), including a 9-for-15 performance in the win over Southern Cal on February 27.
While not the stoutest defense in the conference, the Utes did a good job slowing down Trojans super frosh Evan Mobley in both meetings this season. The 7-footer was limited to 2-of-7 shooting for a mere 11 points, with seven of those coming from the foul line, last month. Back on January 2, Mobley scored only three points and didn’t register a single field goal attempt in USC’s 64-46 home win against Utah.
Utah has been a great bet historically versus Southern California, covering in five of their past six meetings, including that most recent head-to-head.
PREDICTION: Utah +6.5 (-110)
Over/Under Pick
These Pac-12 rivals played Under the number in their two regular season meetings, staying below totals of 138 and 138.5. However, with the way Utah is firing and some defensive slip-ups from Southern Cal, Thursday’s quarterfinal could be packed with points.
The Trojans, who are the top defensive team in the conference, sputtered due to inconsistency in the final month of the schedule, giving up bigger scores in losses to Utah, Colorado and Arizona. Even in the season finale, USC watched UCLA hit at a 51 percent clip including dropping 5-of-9 from beyond the arc. They’ll have their hands full with a dangerous Utes lineup that has six players averaging 11 or more points on the season.
If Wednesday’s shootout wasn’t evidence enough of where Utah’s head is at defensively, perhaps the fact that the Utes have topped the total in three straight games is enough to convince you to get on the Over in Vegas Thursday.
PREDICTION: Over 141.5 (-110)
Utah vs USC betting card
- Utah +6.5 (-110)
- Over 141.5 (-110)
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