The USC Trojans take on the Iowa Hawkeyes in Iowa City on Wednesday, Jan. 28. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. ET on Big Ten Network.
Iowa is favored by 10.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -700. USC, meanwhile, enters as a +10.5 underdog and is +500 on the moneyline to pull off the upset. The over/under sits at 140.5 total points.
Here’s my USC vs. Iowa prediction and college basketball picks for Wednesday, January 28.
USC vs Iowa Prediction
My Pick: Iowa -10.5
My USC vs Iowa best bet is on the Hawkeyes to cover the spread. For all of your college basketball bets, be sure to find the best lines by using our live NCAAB odds page.
USC vs Iowa Odds
| USC Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+10.5 -110 | 140.5 -110o / -110u | +500 |
| Iowa Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-10.5 -110 | 140.5 -110o / -110u | -700 |
- USC vs Iowa Spread: Iowa -10.5
- USC vs Iowa Over/Under: 140.5 points
- USC vs Iowa Moneyline: USC +500, Iowa -700
USC vs Iowa College Basketball Betting Preview
USC Basketball
The Trojans are 15-5 on the season in Year 1 under Eric Musselman and sit at 4-5 in Big Ten play.
USC enters this matchup coming off its best win of the season: a 73-71 road takedown of Wisconsin. Chad Baker-Mazara exploded for 29 points, his second 29-point road performance this month.
Baker-Mazara and Ezra Ausar, who added 17 in the win, have carried USC offensively for most of the season. Both are physical, downhill drivers who excel at drawing contact, a major reason the Trojans rank third nationally in free-throw attempt rate.
Defensively, USC checks in at 45th on KenPom, compared to 72nd offensively. Opponents are shooting just 29.1% from 3, the 12th-lowest mark in the country, and the Trojans also rank 11th nationally in block rate.
After losing both Rodney Rice and Amarion Dickerson for the season in late November, USC was hit hard by a lack of depth.
Five-star freshman Alijah Arenas made his season debut two games ago, providing a much-needed talent injection into the backcourt.
The first two outings have been a struggle — he has shot 6-for-27 from the field — but it’s crucial he shakes off the rust soon if this team wants to continue building a tournament-caliber résumé.
Iowa Basketball
Iowa has been formidable in Year 1 under Ben McCollum, posting a 14-5 record and sitting at 4-4 in Big Ten play. Four of the Hawkeyes’ five losses have come against top-eight KenPom teams, with their best win coming 10 days ago at Indiana.
The Hawkeyes play at a deliberate half-court pace, ranking 338th nationally in tempo, and boast the 16th-best defense in the country — a unit that also ranks sixth in defensive turnover rate.
In its four Big Ten wins, Iowa has allowed just 61.0 points per game. In its four losses, that number jumps to 73.8.
Offensively, everything runs through Bennett Stirtz, who's averaging 18.3 points and 5.0 assists while playing 36 minutes per game. In Iowa’s four conference wins, Stirtz has averaged 24.8 points, compared to 16.5 in losses.
As a team, the Hawkeyes rank 37th in offensive efficiency, per KenPom, and ninth nationally in effective field-goal percentage.
This is an extremely well-coached group that plays connected on both ends of the floor.
At times, they can look undersized or lack elite athleticism against the nation’s best, but outside of the Michigan State game, they’ve had a legitimate chance to win in every loss.
USC vs Iowa Betting Analysis
Iowa is the clearly more well-oiled machine.
The Hawkeyes share the ball, play connected on both ends, and haven’t had to navigate constant lineup changes or new pieces being worked into the rotation.
Ausar and Baker-Mazara could definitely get going here with their individual scoring ability, but I think it's much more likely that Iowa is disruptive defensively. I'll take the Hawkeyes to take care of business easily here at home.
Pick: Iowa -10.5
