Utah vs USC Pac-12 Tournament Picks: Utes' Shooting Is Hot

Utah center Branden Carlson and the Utes have done a great job of containing 'SC star Evan Mobley so far this season, and they'll need to do it again to move on in the Pac-12 Tournament.

Jason Logan: Senior Betting Analyst at Covers
Jason Logan • Senior Betting Analyst
Mar 10, 2021 • 22:59 ET
Branden Carlson Utah Utes Pac-12 NCAAB
Photo By - USA TODAY Sports

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

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Sharp money and line movement report

By Patrick Everson

Southern 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 game

Utah 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)
NCAA parlays

Did you know that if you parlayed today’s NCAA Utah vs. USC picks, you could win $26.45 on a $10 bet?

Use our NCAA parlay calculator to create your own parlays and see their potential payouts.

Where can I bet on college basketball?

You can bet on college basketball odds at every online and casino sportsbook, including NCAA moneylines, spreads, Over/Under totals, and a ton of prop odds. Head over to our best sportsbooks for college basketball betting in your area.

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Jason Logan Senior Industry Analyst Covers.com
Senior Betting Analyst

In his 20 years with Covers, lead NFL betting analyst; has seen it all and bet it all. Through the wild west of early Internet gambling to lobbying for legalized sports betting to our brave new wagering world, Jason has been a consistent source of actionable info and entertainment for squares and sharps alike. Since joining the Covers team back in 2005, he honed his handicapping skills to provide audiences with the most thorough insights, blending traditional capping methods with advanced modelling and predictive analysis. Jason has studied the ins and outs of the sports betting business, learning from some of the most successful gamblers in the industry and the biggest sportsbook operators on the planet. He is under center for Covers during NFL season as our top NFL expert, taking the points in his infamous NFL Underdogs column and representing the Covers Community at the Super Bowl. While he lives for football season, Jasons first love is basketball and that shows in his in-depth NBA, NCAA, and WNBA betting breakdowns. On top of being a mainstay in media from coast to coast; WPIX, PHL17, Fox 5 San Diego, WGNO, TSN, SportsNet, ESPN Radio; he had his analysis featured in USA Today, MSNBC, ESPN, the Wall Street Journal, CBS, Bloomberg, the L.A. Times, the New York Times and other major publications. You can also find JLo stuffing all the top picks and predictions he can into 10 minutes as the host of Covers; flagship podcast, The Sharp 600. His best advice for bettors new and old is; Handicapping isn't a one size fits all process. The impact and importance of information varies from bet to bet. Treat each wager different than the last.

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