Halftime Report
Only one more half stands between California and the win they were favored to collect coming into this evening. They have a bit of a cushion as they currently lead USC 42-31.
California came into the matchup with some extra motivation after the defeat they were dealt the last time these two teams faced off. We’ll see if they’re able to flip the script or if it’ll just be more of the same.
Who’s Playing
USC Trojans @ California Golden Bears
Current Records: USC 9-13, California 9-13
How To Watch
What to Know
California is 0-10 against the Trojans since January of 2018 but they’ll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Wednesday. Both teams will face off in a Pac-12 battle at 11:00 p.m. ET at Haas Pavilion. Coming in fresh off a victory as the underdog, California will stroll into this one as the favorite.
Even though California has not done well against the Sun Devils recently (they were 1-9 in their previous ten matchups), they didn’t let the past get in their way on Saturday. The Golden Bears enjoyed a cozy 81-66 victory over the Sun Devils. The win was just what California needed coming off of a 91-65 defeat in their prior contest.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead California to victory, but perhaps none more so than Fardaws Aimaq, who dropped a double-double on 20 points and 14 rebounds. Aimaq didn’t help California’s cause all that much against the Wildcats on Thursday but the same can’t be said for this match. Jalen Cone was another key contributor, scoring 19 points.
Meanwhile, USC came into Saturday’s matchup having lost six straight, but that streak is now in the rearview. They blew past the Beavers, posting a 82-54 win at home. Winning is a bit easier when you work as a team to rack up 12 more assists than your opponent, as USC did.
DJ Rodman and Harrison Hornery were among the main playmakers for USC as the former dropped a double-double on 12 points and 14 rebounds and the latter scored 14 points. Hornery didn’t help USC’s cause all that much against the Bruins last Saturday but the same can’t be said for this game. The team also got some help courtesy of Kijani Wright, who scored 12 points along with five rebounds and two blocks.
The Golden Bears are on a roll lately: they’ve won three of their last four games, which provided a nice bump to their 9-13 record this season. As for the Trojans, their win ended a three-game drought at home and bumped them up to 9-13.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: California have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 37.3 rebounds per game. However, it’s not like USC struggles in that department as they’ve been averaging 36.5 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it’ll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
California opened the new year with a less-than-successful 82-74 loss to the Trojans. Will California have more luck at home instead of on the road?
Odds
California is a slight 2.5-point favorite against USC, according to the latest college basketball odds.
The oddsmakers were right in line with the betting community on this one, as the game opened as a 2.5-point spread, and stayed right there.
The over/under is set at 148.5 points.
See college basketball picks for every single game, including this one, from SportsLine’s advanced computer model. Get picks now.
Series History
USC has won all of the games they’ve played against California in the last 6 years.
- Jan 03, 2024 – USC 82 vs. California 74
- Feb 16, 2023 – USC 97 vs. California 60
- Nov 30, 2022 – USC 66 vs. California 51
- Jan 29, 2022 – USC 79 vs. California 72
- Jan 06, 2022 – USC 77 vs. California 63
- Jan 23, 2021 – USC 76 vs. California 68
- Jan 16, 2020 – USC 88 vs. California 56
- Feb 16, 2019 – USC 89 vs. California 66
- Jan 03, 2019 – USC 82 vs. California 73
- Jan 28, 2018 – USC 77 vs. California 59
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