Free NCAA Hoops Pick: UC-Irvine vs. USC CBB Odds
Looking for UC-Irvine Anteaters vs. USC Trojans NCAA basketball free picks & CBB odds? CBB betting sees the Anteaters taking on the Trojans on Wednesday, December 15, 2021, at Galen Center in Los Angeles, CA. Cappers Picks provides complimentary expert handicapping picks on all college basketball matchups all season long so stay tuned for more FREE daily NCAA basketball predictions like this Anteaters Trojans matchup.
2021 NCAA Basketball Handicapping
(5-2) UC-Irvine Anteaters vs. USC Trojans (10-0)
Date: Wednesday, December 15, 2021
Time: 9:00 PM ET
Venue: Galen Center
CBB Moneyline Odds: Irvine +475 / USC -700
CBB Betting ATS Odds: Anteaters +11 / Trojans -11 (Bet Now!)
CBB Betting Total: O/U 129.5
The Anteaters head to Pac 12 country… Oh, wait, that’s the Conference of Champions, isn’t it‽ It sure is, although it has been quite some time since we have seen a national hoops championship team out of the Pac 12. It will be 25 years at least considering it was 1997 when Arizona had their title season and 2022 is around the corner.
Anyway, UC Irvine has jumped off to a respectable 5 – 2 start to their 2021 campaign and both of those losses have come in their travels. After losing the season opener to New Mexico State, the Anteaters reeled off a 5-game win streak that included wins over Boise State, Santa Clara, and Pepperdine.
That run was snapped by Fresno State last time out leaving the Anteaters at 5 -2 now double-digit underdogs on the road against the 10th-ranked Trojans on Wednesday night at the Galen Center.
USC has been perfect thus far and there isn’t too much to say about being 10 – 0 other than it’s been a nice run out of the gate. There was almost a little bit of concern in the last outing against Long Beach State as the 9ers went to the half tied up with USC at 38 points apiece. A strong second-half showing saw the Trojans pull away late and keep their storybook season going
The last time we saw a USC program undefeated this far into a season was back in 2016 when this program was 14 – 0 out of the gate. That season ended with a first-four appearance and a run to the second round of the NCAA big dance.
UC-Irvine Anteaters
HELLO, DEFENSE! I mean, when you look at all of the rankings and stats on the defensive side of the ball throughout college hoops there is one common denominator. This team is sitting in the top-5 of plenty of defensive categories including holding the #2 spot in the country holding their opponents to a 34.5% shooting clip.
It is also clear in the totals you see for this team as they are a clean 5 – 0 to the under in the 5 lined games of the 7 they’ve played thus far.
With that said, this offense has actually been great from being the arc when they do decide to shoot from outside. The Anteaters are ranked 24th in the land from the 3-point line shooting 38.7%, and not one player on this roster is under 25% from outside.
Granted, the starters eat up most of those numbers but the Anteaters are going to defend you to death and they can shoot pretty well too.
If this offense could pick up the pace just a bit more we could be talking about another post-season appearance for this program in 2021-22. Naturally, conference play will determine nearly everything and I expect this team to do pretty well.
USC Trojans
The Trojans know how to defend the floor almost as well as the Anteaters and this team know that this could be one low-scoring struggle tonight.
The Trojans lost a bit of that mindset last time out against the 49ers as it was a 38-38 game going to the locker room when Coach Enfield reminded everyone what was at stake. Sure, it’s game 9 of the season, and conference play hasn’t even started yet but that’s not how Enfiled operates.
Getting his team to come out inspired was a big deal and holding the 49ers to 24 second-half points was about setting the tone with defense.
USC ranks 4th in the country holding their opponents to 35.2% shooting from the floor and it came in handy last time out. On the other side of the floor, the Trojans are shooting 49.6% from the floor, and that ranks them 15th in the nation.
Max Agbonkpolo is just a point away from being the fifth player on the USC roster averaging double-digits scoring. Max is at 9.1 PPG but a big night could certainly get him over the hump and he has certainly improved his game from his sophomore campaign. His average is up 6 points from a year ago and he has scored in the double-digits in 3 of his last 4 outings.
Oh, and #3? Yeah, that dude is a baller and half and he is a load to deal on both sides of the floor. That 6-10, 240-pound frame makes him difficult to stop and he is around the glass all night long. He is a shiver from being a 15 – 10 guy and he finds people when he is being doubled because he can see the floor so well.
CBB Betting Trends:
- The anteaters are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 games following a straight-up loss.
- Under is 5-0 in Anteaters last 5 overall.
- Under is 6-1 in Anteaters’ last 7 road games.
- Under is 5-1 in Trojans last 6 overall.
Free UC-Irvine Anteaters vs. USC Trojans NCAAB Betting Prediction:
Who the hell set this total? Almost 130? YEAH, THAT’S A NO!
60 – 55 is our score and if they get even close to 120 I will be shocked!
4* Free CBB Betting Pick: Under 129.5
If you’re looking for more College basketball picks like this UC-Irvine Anteaters vs. USC Trojans matchup we’ll be providing 4* free college basketball predictions on the blog all season long, and check out our Experts for guaranteed premium & free NCAAB Hoops picks!
Register here for a FREE CBB Betting Account Now for Daily Free Picks & More Special Offers!