The Pac-12 is back in action Thursday night with Stanford Cardinal (11-6, 4-3 Pac-12) clashing with the #15 USC Trojans (17-2, 7-2 Pac-12) in a conference showdown in SoCal. USC enters Thursday’s tilt after a blowout victory over Arizona State on Monday, while Stanford also defeated the Sun Devils in their last contest on Saturday.
Thursday’s tipoff is at 11 p.m. EST inside the Galen Center in Los Angeles, CA. Southern Cal is an 11-point favorite over Stanford, and the over-under total is at 139.5 points.
What to Know – Stanford Cardinal
Stanford heads into Thursday night’s contest looking for its second victory in as many starts. The Cardinal could use the road win, sitting only two games back in the conference standings. Stanford ranks 91st in the KenPom and 96th in the NCAA’s NET rankings.
On offense, the Cardinal average 69.6 points per game, shooting 43.7 percent from the floor and 35.2 percent from behind the arc. Stanford’s defense limits opponents to 70.1 points per game, 44.9 percent shooting from the field, and 32.4 percent shooting from the 3-point line.
In Saturday’s 79-76 thrilling victory over the Sun Devils, Brandon Angel hit three free throws with one second remaining to give Stanford the win. Angel joined Michael O’Connell as the team’s leading scorers with 16 points apiece. Stanford shot 38 percent from the field but connected on 47 percent of their 3-point attempts.
Stanford is 7-9-1 against the spread this year with a 1-3-1 record ATS on the road. Stanford is 2-4 ATS over its previous six games on the road.
What to Know – USC Trojans
USC carries a three-game winning streak into the battle with Stanford, looking to stay in a three-way tie atop the Pac-12 standings. The Trojans are 21st in the KenPom rankings and 22nd in the NET.
Southern Cal averages 73.8 points per game behind 46.6 percent shooting from the floor and 34.4 percent shooting from three. USC’s defense surrenders 64.2 points per game, 37.5 percent shooting from the field, and 32.6 percent shooting from the arc.
USC got down early to Arizona State on Monday night but used a late first-half run to pull away and never look back against the struggling Sun Devils. The Trojans used a balanced scoring attack with four players netting double figures, led by Drew Peterson with 16 points. USC was efficient on offense, hitting 46 percent of their shots from the field.
The Trojans are 11-8 ATS this season and 4-5 ATS on the home hardwood. USC owns a 2-4 record ATS in its last six games played on a Thursday.
The Pick is In
Stanford and USC met earlier this month with the Cardinal handing the Trojans their first loss of the season. USC hasn’t forgotten about that game and will be ready to go Thursday night to avenge that loss.
USC should win the game, but look for Stanford to battle with the Trojans and give them a tough test. We like the visitors to cover the double-digit spread.
The Pick: Stanford Cardinal +11
