by Chuck Sommers
Tuesday, Jan 11, 2022
Time: 5 p.m. ET
Venue: Maples Pavilion, Stanford, CA
Where to watch: ESPN2
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: USC -5.5
BetMGM: USC -5.5
Caesars: USC -5.5
Season record
No. 5 USC: 13-0 (3-0 Pac-12)
Stanford: 8-4 (1-1 Pac-12)
Matt Fargo is coming off a tough loss with Minnesota and Top Plays are now 32-17 YTD. College Hoops is 241-195 +$27,356 since the start of the 2019-2020 season. Catch Matt's plays available right now at the Shop Picks page, where you can find all of the Best Bets from our champion sports handicappers.
USC - Stanford preview and analysis
Recent form
USC: won 77-63 at Cal on Jan. 6
Stanford: won 79-76 vs. Liberty on Dec. 23
For the first time since 1974, the USC Trojans are a top-5 team in the country.
For the first time since 1974, the USC Trojans are a top-5 team in the country.
The undefeated Trojans are No. 5 in the country, one of only two teams to be undefeated in the top-5, joining the defending national champion Baylor Bears in that conversation.
USC, off to a 13-0 start and having won three straight to start Pac-12 play, will look to keep the fun times rolling Tuesday in a road contest against the Stanford Cardinal.
The Trojans are coming off a 77-63 win over the Cal Golden Bears in a game that was decided by the calling card of USC’s game: Turning dominant defense into offense. USC shot 53.4 percent and had four players in double figures led by Isaiah Mobley’s 19 points and nine rebounds.
Drew Peterson also had 17 points along with nine rebounds of his own, as the long and athletic Trojans outrebounded Cal 39-24 and had 10 offensive rebounds.
It was USC’s first game in three weeks after having three games moved due to COVID issues within the program/other teams.
"Guys just tried to stay as ready as they could through the quarantine process," Mobley said. "There wasn't much we could do but a lot of guys were watching film, trying to fix the stuff they could work on. Of course we were a little rusty but we just kind of came together and we're starting to catch a flow where everyone's being aggressive, everyone's showing up."
For a team concerned about rust, USC didn’t look the part with how efficient they were offensively, especially in the second half.
USC’s rise to the top-5 has been by way due to being an athletic team that looks to have endless energy on both ends of the court. The Trojans are outscoring opponents by an average of 15.2 points while the offense has made nearly half its shots.
And now to go against a Stanford team that has looked to be fool’s gold as of late seems all but certain USC will keep that win streak going.
While the Cardinal have won four of five, the wins have not been impressive. Three of them have come by one score, the other was an overtime win against Dartmouth. The loss in that run was against No. 17 Texas.
The Cardinal are coming off a 3-point win against Liberty and held off a 41-point performance from Flames guard Darius McGhee in the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic. Spencer Jones had a career-high 25 points.
Stanford almost blew a 9-point lead with 41 seconds left before McGhee had eight of the game’s final 12 points. In short, this has not been the greatest stretch if you’ve not just been supporting Stanford on the court, but in the books as well. Talk about a bad beat.
Prediction
This should not be an issue for USC. If the Cardinal keep it close, this will be the most impressive game of Stanford’s season to date. Not even that should be happening right now. Trojans cruise to an easy win. USC by 16
Betting trends
USC is 12-2 straight up in its last 14 as a road favorite.
USC is 1-6 ATS following three straight games of outrebounding an opponent by six or more.
USC is 21-9 ATS in its last 30 following two straight games of five steals or less.
Stanford is 7-19 straight up in its last 26 as an underdog.
Projected starting lineup
USC:
PG: Ethan Anderson
SG: Boogie Ellis
SF: Drew Peterson
PF: Chevez Goodwin
C: Isaiah Mobley
SF: Drew Peterson
PF: Chevez Goodwin
C: Isaiah Mobley
Stanford:
PG: Michael O'Connell
SG: Spencer Jones
SF: Jaiden Delaire
PF: Harrison Ingram
C: James Keefe
SF: Jaiden Delaire
PF: Harrison Ingram
C: James Keefe
Don't miss our champion handicappers' free picks and expert basketball picks today. And if you enjoyed this USC - Stanford prediction, be sure to drop by every day for our daily college basketball projections and previews.
Chuck Sommers
About the Author:
Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.
