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UCLA vs USC prediction, college basketball game preview, how to watch, lines, and why each team might – or might not – win on Friday.
UCLA vs USC prediction, college basketball game preview, how to watch: Friday, March 11
Date: Friday, March 11
Game Time: 11:30 ET
Venue: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, NV
How To Watch: FS1
Record: UCLA (24-6), USC (26-6)
– Sign up and live stream college basketball on ESPN+
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UCLA vs USC prediction, college basketball game preview, how to watch, lines, and why each team might – or might not – win on Saturday.
UCLA vs USC prediction, college basketball game preview, how to watch: Saturday, February 12
Date: Saturday, February 12
Game Time: 10:00 ET
Venue: Galen Center, Los Angeles, CA
How To Watch: ESPN
Record: UCLA (17-4), USC (20-4)
– Sign up and live stream college basketball on ESPN+
– Today’s Best Bet to Lock in Now
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– All of the CFN Fearless Predictions
The Bruins got past a two-game losing run in Arizona with a terrific shooting game against Stanford in a bounce back win. This might be a fourth-straight road game, but it’s obviously it’s just down the highway.
They continue to be fantastic when it comes to not turning the ball over – they haven’t given it up more than nine times since mid-January – and they started to get their three-point shooting back against the Cardinal.
On the flip side, USC doesn’t force a whole lot of mistakes and isn’t going to come up with more than around eight takeaways. However …
USC doesn’t turn the ball over, either.
It’s not making enough mistakes to let UCLA generate a whole lot of easy points, and if everything is going right, this gets bogged down a bit into a half-court battle.
UCLA can score inside and out, and it can rebound, but the Trojans continue to be dominant on the boards – they lead the Pac-12 in total boards and average 41 per game – and should force a whole slew of one-and-dones.
Arizona – an even better rebounding team than USC – is the only team to come up with double-digit offensive boards the last nine games.
– Top 25 Game Previews, Predictions
The Bruins are playing better overall and are far more consistent from the field, but the defense is also struggling. USC has to keep this in the 60s, pound away on the inside, and don’t make this about threes. There’s one massive problem, though …
UCLA makes its free throws, and USC – for the most part – struggles on the line. In a low scoring battle like this, hitting the shots on the line will mean everything.
UCLA 69, USC 66
Line: COMING, o/u: COMING
ATS Confidence out of 5: COMING
5: Super Bowl – the actual game
1: Super Bowl – everything else
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UCLA vs USC prediction, game preview, how to watch, lines, and why each team might – or might not – win this Saturday.
UCLA vs USC prediction, game preview, how to watch: Saturday, November 20
Date: Saturday, November 20
Game Time: 4:00 ET
Venue: Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, CA
How To Watch: FOX
Record: UCLA (6-4), USC (4-5)
– Sign up and live stream college football on ESPN+
– Today’s Best Bet to Lock in Now
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– All of the CFN Fearless Predictions
USC is giving it a shot, but it’s just not there.
It’s a program in limbo, and it just hasn’t been able to find its football ever since the loss of head coach Clay Helton in the second week of the season.
There was still some fight, but the loss of star WR Drake London for the year might have been one body blow too many.
The offense is way too inconsistent. The yards are there, but there are too many mistakes, not enough points to overcome the defensive flaws, and now UCLA should be able to take advantage of all of it.
The Bruins have a massive consistently problem, too, but this is the week for the running game to get going – it’s going to keep it simple.
Arizona State was able to hammer on the Trojans for close to 300 yards a few weeks ago, Arizona was able to fire away too easily the week before that, and now it’s UCLA’s turn to do both.
The offense was terrific in the win over Colorado, the passing game was okay in the losses to Utah and Oregon, USC shouldn’t be able to keep up if the parts are working.
– College Football Expert Picks, CFN Week 12
Not to use a break like USC just had as any sort of blessing in disguise – considering the circumstances – but the postponement of the Cal game to December could be just the timeout the program needed.
It’s not like the offense just stopped.
Kedon Slovis wasn’t bad considering all the issues, but not it’s Jaxson Dart’s chance to show what he can do in the spotlight.
The freshman wasn’t anything special against Arizona or Arizona State, but he threw for 391 yards and four scores in the win over Washington State early in the year. Now the program gets to see what he can do.
The UCLA secondary hasn’t been anything special against the teams that can throw. The D allowed 240 yards or more in seven of the first eight games before getting Utah and Colorado.
With nothing to lose season-wise, and with the time to prepare, the Trojans are about to turn it loose.
– NFL Expert Picks: CFN Week 11
It’s still USC vs UCLA.
It’s a strange moment for both programs with USC needing to win out just to go bowling, but knowing that it’s simply passing the time before the new era kicks in.
For UCLA, no one’s seriously talking about Chip Kelly’s job status at the moment – beating Colorado put a temporary pause on that – but lose to this USC team to make it three defeats in a row, and there’s a problem.
Or, UCLA overcomes an early USC energy burst, pounds away and wears down the lines, and then takes over in the fourth quarter to win this. It then takes care of Cal next week on the way to a decent 8-4 record in a step-forward season.
Assume the latter scenario.
– College Football Schedule: Week 12 Predictions, Lines
UCLA 34, USC 26
Line: UCLA -3, o/u: 65.5
ATS Confidence out of 5: 3.5
5: Tummyache Soak
1: Adele 30
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UCLA Bruins vs USC Trojans prediction and college basketball game preview.
UCLA Bruins vs USC Trojans prediction and college basketball game preview.
Date: Saturday, February 6
Game Time: 10:00 ET
Venue: Galen Center, Los Angeles, CA
Network: ESPN
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– All of the CFN Fearless Predictions
For latest lines and to bet on college basketball, go to BetMGM
Free throws.
UCLA needs to be hot from three, they need to move the ball around well, and they’ve been amazing at times over the second half of the season on the offensive boards, but in what should be a tight game, it should come down to what happens from the line.
USC gets there, but it doesn’t do enough. It has made life hard on itself with missed free throws in game after game, and UCLA is among the best teams in the country from the line.
The Bruins should make at least six more than USC will, and they’ll need to because …
The USC defense continues to be fantastic.
It’s the best in the Pac-12 at field goal percentage, it’s great on the inside and blocks, and it dominates on the boards. In this, though, it’ll be the defensive pressure that doesn’t force steals, but is great at harassing three-point shooters that will be the difference.
Yeah, the free-throw shooting is a problem, but it’s a bulk number thing – the Trojans will get to the line enough to make up for the misses. There will be a few rebounds to overcome the whiffs, too.
Expect a good, fun game with a lot of defense and a few big mood swings. USC will do a bit more on the boards and will be far better defensively down the stretch.
USC 76, UCLA 72
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USC -3, o/u: 135.5
ATS Confidence out of 5: 1.5
5: Watching Super Bowl on the coach (with power nap)
1: Watching Super Bowl with other people
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