usc trojans vs washington huskies-odds-picks-predictions-college basketball-wednesday march 5

Washington vs USC Odds, Picks, Predictions for Wednesday, March 5

The Washington Huskies take on the USC Trojans in Los Angeles, CA. Tip-off is set for 10:30 p.m. ET on Big Ten Network.

USC is favored by 6.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -310. The total is set at 150.5 points.

Here’s my Washington vs. USC predictions and college basketball picks for March 5, 2025.


Washington vs USC Prediction

My Pick: USC -8 or Better

My Washington vs USC best bet is on the Trojans spread, with the best odds currently available at DraftKings. For all of your college basketball bets, find the best lines using our live NCAAB odds page.


Washington vs USC Odds

[gamematchup league=”ncaab” awaylogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/ncaab/100/was.png” awayname=”Washington” awayslug=”washington-huskies” homelogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/ncaab/100/usc.png” homename=”USC” homeslug=”usc-trojans” date=”Wednesday, Mar. 5″ time=”10:30 p.m. ET” network=”Big Ten Network” col1text=”Spread” col2text=”Total” col3text=”Moneyline” col1awaytext=”+6.5″ col1awayline=”-108″ col1hometext=”-6.5″ col1homeline= “-112″ col2awaytext=”150.5″ col2hometext=”150.5″ col2awayline=”-112o / -108u” col2homeline=”-112o / -108u” col3awaytext=”+250″ col3hometext=”-310″ col3awayline=”” col3homeline=”” bookname=”DraftKings” bookthumbnaillogo=”https://assets.actionnetwork.com/364880_Draftkings.png” bookreviewslug=”draftkings”][/gamematchup]

  • Washington vs USC spread: USC -6.5
  • Washington vs USC over/under: 150.5 points
  • Washington vs USC moneyline: USC -310, Washington +250
  • Washington vs USC best bet: USC -8 or Better

Spread

I’m laying the points with the Trojans.

Moneyline

I’m passing on the moneyline.

Over/Under

I’m passing on the over/under.

My Pick: USC -8 or Better

_InlineAdBlock

[howtowatch gameid=”240874″ date=”20250305″][/howtowatch]

Washington vs USC College Basketball Betting Preview

While USC has lost five straight games, I still think the Trojans’ offense has trended up as the season has progressed.

[twitterembed tweetid=”1897159437057749202″][/twitterembed]

Eric Musselman has messed with the lineups plenty, but the Desmond Claude-Wesley Yates III-Chibuzo Agbo-Saint Thomas-Rashaun Agee starting five has pieced together a respectable 119 Offensive Rating.

Although they lack spacing and shooting, the Trojans have become a good dribble offense (.90 pick-and-roll ball-handler PPP, 90th percentile, per Synergy).

Claude and Yates are excellent in that department, and the team is especially deadly in the mid-range (44% shooting on over eight attempts per game, 97th percentile, per CBB Analytics).

That feels like a good formula against Washington’s lackluster drop-coverage defense that funnels on-ball creation into the middle of the court and doesn’t do much to stop it (.82 pick-and-roll ball-handler PPP allowed, 35th percentile, per Synergy).

Washington parks Great Osobor at the rim, sticks on perimeter shooters and hands opposing ball-handlers lanes. However, the Huskies’ interior defense has regressed significantly since the Franck Kepnang injury, so they’re lifeless across the interior.

[twitterembed tweetid=”1897161885356790043″][/twitterembed]

Unsurprisingly, the Trojans dropped 85 points in the first head-to-head meeting by shooting a ridiculous 25-for-34 (74%) from the interior. And they had no issues winning off the dribble (26 points on 24 ball-screens, 1.08 PPP, per Synergy).

USC’s defense struggles mightily to defend the dribble. However, Washington creates almost exclusively through Osobor in the post and lacks competent guard play, and USC is a decent post-up defense (.82 PPP allowed, 64th percentile, per Synergy).

Washington only managed six points on 10 post-up sets in the first meeting (.60 PPP, per Synergy). Between that and USC’s interior dominance, the Trojans soared to a 24-point win in Seattle — they led by 31 at one point.

Lots has changed since December 7, but the matchup still favors the Trojans, especially now that they’ve altered their rotations and improved on the offensive end.

From a situational perspective, USC would be the 15th and final seed in the Big Ten Tournament if the season ended at the time of writing, so I suspect the Trojans will be fired up to hang on to that spot ahead of Penn State.

Meanwhile, Washington would need to win on Wednesday and then beat Oregon in the regular-season finale at home — combined with back-to-back losses for Iowa and USC — to earn the coveted final seed.

The odds are stacked against the Huskies, and they might be ready to wave the white flag.

I’ll lay the points.

[procard imageurl=”https://assets.actionnetwork.com/736824_ActionPRO_promo_1500x844.jpg” cta=”Premium picks, tools & analysis” firstupsell=”Track & follow smart money” secondupsell=”Biggest player prop edges” thirdupsell=”Real-time expert pick alerts” buttontext=”SAVE 66% NOW!” buttonurl=”/pricing”][/procard]


Posted

in

by