Idaho St vs. USC prediction, odds, pick for College Basketball

USC continues their season-opening home stand as they face Idaho State. It’s time to continue our College Basketball odds series with an Idaho St-USC prediction and pick.

Idaho State comes into the game at 0-1 on the year. They opened up with a loss at Arizona State. They had the lead in the first half, but Arizona State would go on a 15-0 run to take the lead. Idaho State would make it a one-point game late in the second half but would fall 55-48. Meanwhile, USC was dominant in their first game of the year over Chattanooga. It was tight for most of the first half, but USC dominated the second half, winning the game 77-51.

USC and Idaho State have faced each other once. In December 2009, USC would defeat Idaho State 59-53.

Here are the Idaho St-USC College Basketball Odds, courtesy of FanDuel 

College Basketball Odds: Idaho St-USC Odds

Idaho St: +23.5 (-110)

Moneyline: +2400

USC: -23.5 (-110)

Moneyline: -10000

Over: 138.5 (-115)

Under: 138.5 (-105)

How to Watch Idaho St vs. USC

Time: 10:00 PM ET/ 7:00 PM PT

TV: B1G+

Stream: fuboTV (Free Trial)

Why Idaho St Will Cover The Spread/Win

Idaho State is replacing a lot this year of production from last year. Brayden Parker led the team in points and rebounds last year but graduated after last season. Meanwhile, each of the next three top scorers has all transferred out of the program, meaning they have lost each of their top four scoring options from last year.

They do bring back Isaiah Griffin. Griffin was fifth on the team in scoring last year, with 7.7 points per game this year. He also had 4.9 rebounds per game last year. Griffin scored 12 points and had seven rebounds in the first game of the year. Meanwhile, Jake O’Neil was solid in his first game with Idaho State. The guard comes in as a transfer from NAIA College of Idaho. He scored the points in the first game of the year while adding 11 rebounds, an assist, and two steals.

Idaho State also got production from another transfer. Forward Connor Hollenbeck comes in from Division II Minot State. He scored ten points in the first game of the year while adding five rebounds. Finally, transfer Dylan Darling comes in after a year at Washington State, where he was a medical redshirt. He led the team in assists in the first game with three.

Why USC Will Cover The Spread/Win

USC is turning over almost their entire team from last year. Eric Musselman has come in as the new head coach, replacing Andy Enfield. USC returns just one player from last year, Harrison Hornery. Hornery played in 26 games last year, scoring 3.3 points per game, while adding 2.8 rebounds per game.

In his first game, he scored just three points with a rebound in four minutes of play. Chibuzo Agbo led the way in the first game of the year for USC. The Boise State transfer, and All-Mountain West honorable mention player, scored 14 points while having four rebounds, four assists, and two steals in his first game with USC. He was joined in scoring by Matt Knowling, the Yale transfer. Knowling had 13 points with four assists and two rebounds in his first game at USC.

Saint Thomas comes in from Northern Colorado and was solid at forward in the first game of the year. He had nine points while leading the team with five rebounds. Thomas also had four assists and a steal in the first game of the year. Rounding out the top production was Desmond Claude. Claude spent the last two years at Xavier. He has nine points, with three rebounds, two assists, and a steal in the first game.

Final Idaho St-USC Prediction & Pick

Idaho State struggled in their first game of the year, as they replaced much of their production from last season. They scored just 48 points while shooting just 25.4 percent from the field. Further, they shot just 4-28 from three. They were solid on the glass, mainly the offensive glass. Idaho State had 16 offensive rebounds which led to plenty of second-chance points. Meanwhile, USC did shoot well in their first game of the year. They shot 50 percent from the field while shooting 32 percent from three in the first game. Still, USC did not dominate the boards against a weaker Chattanooga team. They won the rebounding battle 36-34. USC won their first game by 26 and is facing a much weaker team in Idaho State. USC will continue to improve as this group of transfers gel together. Expect USC to continue to shoot well, as they take the win.

Final Idaho St-USC Prediction & Pick: USC -23.5 (-110)