Women’s College Basketball Picks & Predictions: UCLA vs. USC (Thursday)

by Travis Pulver |
Feb 13, 2025

Basketball fans on the East Coast have a great reason to stay up late tonight, with the No. 1 UCLA Bruins taking on their cross-town rival, the No. 6 USC Trojans, at the Galen Center in Los Angeles. Tipoff for this Big Ten battle and rivalry game is scheduled for 10 p.m. ET. Fans can find coverage for what could very well be the best women's basketball game of the season on Peacock.

UCLA opened as a slight favorite (-1.5), but a rivalry game between two top-ten teams such as these could easily be won by either team.

Go premium to view top prop bets based on Cover Probability, Expected Value & Star Rating >>

UCLA Bruins vs. USC Trojans Betting Preview

(Odds Courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook)

Details

Betting Line: USC +1.5, O/U 139.5
Location: Galen Center in Los Angeles, CA
Start Time: 10 p.m. ET
Coverage: Peacock
Last Meeting: March 8, 2024-USC Trojans 80 UCLA Bruins 70 2OT

Overview

It's been a long time since the Bruins have been tested, and you could argue that no one has truly pushed them, forcing them to play their best possible basketball. Other than the nine-point win over Louisville in the season opener, they've beaten everyone by double digits.

However, things have been different in the last couple of games. They scored a season-low 62 points their last time out vs. Oregon and managed just 65 against Ohio State. Their defense was, of course, as dominant as ever in both games, holding the Buckeyes and Ducks to 52 points.

But while good defense was enough to secure a double-digit win against the Buckeyes and Ducks, they may need more to beat the Trojans. USC has a top-ten offense (No. 9) that averages 83.2 points per game, led by JuJu Watkins, one of the top contenders for the Wooden Award this season.

The Bruins can't just focus on taking Watkins out of the game, though. If they do, that just means the Trojans will lean on Kiki Iriafen to step up. Iriafen is averaging 18 points and 8.4 rebounds per game.

Trends

UCLA leads the all-time series vs. USC 55-49.
The two teams split their regular season matchups last year, but USC eliminated the Bruins from the Pac-12 Tournament in the semifinals.
If the Trojans win, they'll be in first place in the division and in the driver's seat until the Trojans and Bruins play again in a couple of weeks (March 1, regular-season finale).
If UCLA wins, the Bruins will have a two-game lead in the Big Ten standings. With roughly six games for every team left to play, every other team would need help to win the conference over the Bruins.

The Bottom Line

This is a tough one to call. Both teams have excellent offenses led by a top contender for the Wooden Award this year. Statistically speaking, their defenses are pretty similar, with both allowing right around 54-56 points per game. Their scoring differential is roughly the same (26 points).

It would be easy to make a case for either team to win this game, which tells me to bet on the TOTAL instead. While we do have two strong offensive teams here, they are solid defensive teams as well. Take the UNDER.

Pick: Under 139.5 Total Points (-110)

Navigate