West Coast Rivalry – Arizona St at USC
BetUS NCAA Basketball Sports Betting Odds: PICK’EM
Here are some of the NCAA basketball betting trends as they relate to this matchup:
* ASU has won 10 of its last 11 games SU
* ASU has covered four of its last five games * ASU has played four of its last five games OVER the total
* ASU has won five of its last seven road games SU
* ASU has covered six of its last nine road games
* ASU has played four of its last five road games OVER the total
* USC has won five of its last seven games SU
* USC has played five of its last eight games OVER the total
* USC has won six of its last seven home games SU
Also….
* USC has won seven of the last ten meetings SU
* ASU has covered five of the last six meetings
* Five of the last seven meetings have gone UNDER the total
* USC has won four of the last five meetings SU as the home team
* ASU has covered three of the last four meetings as the road team
* The last four meetings in Los Angeles have gone UNDER the total
* USC has had the rebounding edge in four of the last five meetings
Arizona State is shooting almost 52% from the field, which is second nationwide behind Utah State. ASU made great strides under Herb Sendek last year, mostly because he was able to snare the big recruiting coup by landing James Harden, who was possibly the best player in the Pac-10 last season and looms as a very legitimate Naismith Award candidate. Harden is averaging 23 points a game and that probably stings the Trojans and the UCLA Bruins, who wanted the L.A. product for their very own.
Actually, this is a pretty important recruiting game for ASU, because four players in its rotation are from the L.A. area. Local success would help, but it hasn’t happened. Arizona State has lost seven straight games in Los Angeles – they have been beaten in the Pac-10 tournament at the Staples Center three times, and have been defeated twice each at Pauley Pavilion and the Galen Center. More than one player has pointed out that dealing with friends and family and handling ticket requests is often a distraction for the Sun Devil players who are Angelinos.
This may be the most winnable game for the Sun Devils in this three-game stretch where they have to follow with road contests against UCLA and Arizona. Last year Harden got into foul trouble early in the second half as USC won by 14 points at this venue. Maybe that’s the way USC coach Tim Floyd will seek to slow him down – by making him extend himself on the defensive end. The Trojans may have been hurt a little by the loss of O.J. Mayo, who was a pretty good defensive operative for them, but Floyd’s group is holding opponents to 39% shooting, so they can still disrupt the other team’s game plan. This year’s prize freshman, DeMar DeRozan, hasn’t been dominant but has scored in double figures in ten straight games after a slow start.
I would look for a focused effort from USC after suffering a tough 64-60 loss to cross-town rival UCLA at the Galen Center four days ago. Take the Trojans as a pick’em in the BetUS NCAA college basketball sports betting odds.
