Utah vs. USC Prediction and Odds: Can the Utes Keep up on the Glass?

Pac-12 college basketball tips off tonight when the USC Trojans host the Utah Utes at the Galen Center. Both teams feature lock-down defenses that should set the pace for the night. 

The Utes enter with a 5-1 record on the heels of their first loss of the season; coming at the hands of No. 18 BYU 75-64 after an explosive second half from the Cougars. Branden Carlson led the Utes with 17 points and six rebounds in 33 minutes. The Utes were in a good spot to win this game but got killed on the boards 45-28 by BYU. Utah also surrendered a lot of points in the paint and will need to solve that problem sooner rather than later. 

USC is a perfect 6-0 heading into Wednesday night after beating the San Diego State Aztecs 58-43. The Trojans have a great defense and held the Aztecs to 32.0 percent from the field and under 20 percent from downtown. Isaiah Mobley, brother of Evan Mobley, led all scorers with 18 points and 12 rebounds. 

Here are the odds for this Pac-12 matchup, courtesy of WynnBET Sportsbook.

Utah vs. USC Odds, Spread, and Total

Spread:

• Utah +7.5 (-116)
• USC -7.5 (-108)

Moneyline:

• Utah +250
• USC -320

Total: 137.0 (Over -115/Under -105)

Utah vs. USC Prediction and Pick

This is the first road game for the Utes and is in a tough spot here against USC. The first six games for this team were either at home or at a neutral court. The early loss to BYU stings, but they held strong against a ranked team and likely headed to the NCAA Tournament. 

BYU and USC have something in common and that is ferocious rebounding. BYU exploded for 45 rebounds in their win over Utah and USC is averaging 41.2 per game. That ranks them sixth in the nation. They also play very good defense and rank fifth in the nation in point allowed at 58.3 per game. 

I think this game goes very similarly to the BYU game in that Utah hangs tight but eventually loses the game on the glass. I would take a small lean toward the UNDER in this game as well based on how strong both defenses are overall.

Pick: Utah -7.5 (-110)