USC Trojans vs Rutgers Scarlet Knights Prediction, Odds and Picks for Today, 02/23/25

The USC Trojans (14-12) will play their final game of the season outside the Pacific time zone on Sunday night when they meet the Rutgers Scarlet Knights (13-14) in Piscataway. The Trojans have struggled of late, dropping 2 games in a row and 4 of their last 5. Meanwhile, the Knights wrapped up their west coast trip with an 89-85 overtime win at Washington, which snapped a 3-game losing streak. Sunday’s matchup will be the first time these programs meet on the hardwood in close to 30 years. 

I like points in this matchup. Rutgers and USC have been horrible on the defensive end of the floor recently, both sitting in the 6th percentile or worse in defensive rating over their last 5 games according to CBB Analytics. In fact, USC and Rutgers are 11th and 14th, respectively, in the Big Ten in defensive efficiency, so I don’t see a path to consistent defensive success for either team. Moreover, pace of play should be fine with both teams ranking in the top 120 in adjusted tempo per KenPom. For what it’s worth, Overs are 10-3 when USC is an underdog. 

USC vs Rutgers prediction: Over 152.5 (-115) at the time of publishing. Playable to 154.

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