Rutgers Scarlet Knights vs USC Trojans Prediction, 1/31/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Rutgers Scarlet Knights vs USC Trojans

Date: Saturday, January 31, 2026

Location: Galen Center in Los Angeles, CA

TV: ESPN+

Galen Center is the location where the USC Trojans (15-6) will meet the Rutgers Scarlet Knights (9-12) on Saturday.

The Rutgers Scarlet Knights faced off with Michigan State and took a loss by a final of 88-79 in their last game. Rutgers walked away from the contest with a 40.3% FG percentage (25 out of 62) and made 10 of their 27 three-point attempts. At the free throw line, the Scarlet Knights made 19 of their 23 tries for a percentage of 82.6%. With regard to pulling down boards, they earned a total of 19 with 6 of them being of the offensive sort. They also recorded 11 dimes in this game while forcing 14 turnovers and having 8 steals. When it comes to defense, Rutgers allowed the other team to shoot 49.1% from the field on 28 of 57 shooting. Michigan State dished out 18 dimes and had 1 steal in the matchup. Furthermore, Michigan State snagged 44 rebounds (13 offensive, 31 defensive), but couldn't earn a rejection. Michigan State finished the contest at 92.3% from the free throw line by knocking down 24 of their 26 shots. They also made 8 out of their 22 attempts from 3-point range. In relation to fouls, the Scarlet Knights ended up with 21 and Michigan State totaled 19 fouls.

Tariq Francis is one player who was a major factor in this contest. He finished the contest at 35.3% from the floor and totaled 1 assist. He played 34 mins and also pulled down 2 boards. He was able to score 23 points on 6 of 17 shooting.

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Rutgers enters this contest with a win-loss mark of 9-12 for the campaign. They are turning it over 10.6 times per game and as a team they commit 17.0 fouls every game. As a unit, Rutgers is pulling in 34.7 rebounds per contest and has accounted for 225 dimes for the season, which is 347th in Division 1 in terms of passing the rock. The Scarlet Knights are connecting on 32.2% on shots from 3-point land (139 of 432) and 73.4% from the charity stripe. They are averaging 70.1 points per outing (314th in the nation) while going 40.6% from the floor.

On defense, the Scarlet Knights are able to force 11.4 turnovers on a nightly basis while drawing 18.7 fouls. They are giving up 37.2% on three-point shots and they are 220th in college hoops in points per game allowed (75.1). The Scarlet Knights defense is giving up and opponent field goal percentage of 45.0% (557 of 1,238) and they concede 36.3 boards per game as a team. They are ranked 290th in college in giving up assists to their opponents with 314 surrendered for the year.

For their last game, the USC Trojans went home defeated by a final of 73-72 against Iowa. Regarding attacking the glass, USC allowed Iowa to collect 28 in all (9 on the offensive glass). They finished the game shooting 32.0% from three-point range by shooting 8 out of 25 and walked away from this one shooting 19 out of 22 at the free throw line (86.4%). The Trojans allowed Iowa to bury 23 of their 55 tries from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 41.8% for this game. When this game wrapped up, the Trojans went 28 out of 53 from the floor which had them at 52.8%. With regard to shots from downtown, USC converted 5 out of 15 tries (33.3%). They were able to knock down 11 of them for a percentage of 68.8%. Iowa committed 20 fouls for the contest which got the Trojans to the free throw line for a total of 16 attempts. They also turned it over 14 times, while getting 6 steals for this contest. The Trojans corralled 19 defensive rebounds and 7 offensive rebounds for a total of 26 for the matchup.

Kam Woods ended up being a major contributor for the Trojans in the game. He knocked down 12 of 17 for the matchup giving him a field goal percentage of 70.6%, and added 3 rebounds. He totaled 33 points in his 40 mins of playing time and added 3 assists in this contest.

USC has a record of 15-6 so far this season. As an offensive team, the Trojans are hitting on 47.0% from the field, which ranks 89th in the nation. USC has earned 1,714 pts on the campaign (81.6 per game) and they snag 37.4 boards per game. They are dishing out assists 15.6 times per game (97th in college) and they lose possession via turnover 12.3 times per game. The Trojans are responsible for committing 19.3 fouls every game and they hit 71.4% from the charity stripe.

The Trojans on the defensive end are ranked 226th in the nation in PPG allowed with 75.3. They are forcing 12.7 turnovers per game and allow teams to shoot 41.5% from the floor (67th in D-1). The USC defense allows 30.3% from downtown (165 of 545) and opponents are connecting on 76.1% of their free throw attempts. They have given up 13.8 assists and 33.7 rebounds every game, which is ranked 217th and 140th in college.

Who will win tonight's NCAA game against the spread?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Rutgers

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