UCLA Bruins vs USC Trojans Prediction, 3/7/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: UCLA Bruins vs USC Trojans

Date: Saturday, March 7, 2026

Location: Galen Center in Los Angeles, CA

TV: ESPN+

The USC Trojans (18-12) will try to defeat the UCLA Bruins (20-10) at Galen Center on Saturday.

The UCLA Bruins took the court against Nebraska and went home with a win by a final score of 72-52 in their last game. UCLA ended the game having earned a 46.7% FG percentage (28 of 60) and converted 10 of 29 3-pointers. From the charity stripe, the Bruins buried 6 of 10 shots for a percentage of 60.0%. When talking about pulling down boards, they earned 35 with 11 of them being offensive. They also doled out 17 dimes for this game as well as creating 13 turnovers and having 8 steals. In reference to defending, UCLA let their opponent shoot 38.8% from the floor on 19 out of 49 shooting. Nebraska distributed 12 dimes and had 6 steals for the game. Additionally, Nebraska snagged 29 boards (8 offensive, 21 defensive), but finished the game with no rejections. Nebraska shot 50.0% at the charity stripe by converting 9 of 18 shots. They also made 5 out of their 24 shots from 3-point land. Regarding personal fouls, the Bruins finished with 18 and Nebraska finished the game with 10 personal fouls.

Trent Perry is one guy who came through in this contest. He finished shooting 53.3% from the field and earned 4 assists. He saw the court for 38 mins played and also snagged 7 rebounds. He ended up scoring 20 points on 8 out of 15 shooting.

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UCLA enters this game with a win-loss mark of 20-10 for the year. They average 77.6 points per game (139th in D-1) while shooting 46.9% from the floor. The Bruins are shooting 37.8% on three-point attempts (236 of 625) and 76.6% from the free throw line. As a unit, UCLA is collecting 32.3 rebounds per contest and has accumulated 480 assists for the season, which ranks 75th in the country in terms of passing the ball. They are turning it over 9.1 times per contest and as a unit are committing 17.3 personal fouls on a nightly basis.

On defense, the Bruins are forcing 12.3 turnovers per contest and they draw 18.0 fouls. They currently rank 265th in D-1 in giving up assists with 440 surrendered so far this season. The Bruins defensively are giving up a field goal percentage of 43.4% (725 of 1,671) and they surrender 32.9 rebounds per game as a squad. They are surrendering 31.3% on shots from beyond the perimeter and they rank 102nd in the country in PPG allowed (71.0).

The last time they took the court, the USC Trojans went home defeated by a final of 91-72 when they played Washington. In regard to attacking the glass, USC allowed Washington to get 44 in all (18 on the offensive side). They finished 23.3% from distance by hitting 7 out of 30 and finished the game at 10 out of 15 from the charity stripe (66.7%). The Trojans allowed Washington to bury 37 out of 77 attempts from the field which gave them a percentage of 48.1% in the matchup. When the final whistle blew, the Trojans shot 24 for 64 from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 37.5%. When talking about shooting from distance, USC converted 4 of 19 tries (21.1%). They were able to knock down 20 of the free throw attempts for a rate of 80.0%. Washington earned 20 fouls in the matchup which took the Trojans to the free throw line for a total of 25 attempts. They also gave up possession of the ball 12 times, while earning 8 steals in this matchup. The Trojans collected 23 defensive boards and 11 offensive rebounds totaling 34 for this contest.

Alijah Arenas ended up being a factor for the Trojans in this matchup. He converted 5 of 16 for this game giving him a field goal percentage of 31.3%, and had 7 rebounds. He racked up 19 points in his 33 mins on the hardwood and accumulated 2 dimes for the game.

USC has a record of 18-12 on the year. When it comes to offense, the Trojans are shooting 45.5% from the floor, which is 169th in the nation. USC has accounted for 2,368 points this season (78.9 per contest) and they snag 36.7 boards per game. Their rate of assisting teammates is at 14.8 times per contest (120th in the country) and they turn it over 12.7 times per game. The Trojans commit 18.7 fouls every game while shooting 72.6% from the free throw line.

The USC defense concedes 30.8% on three-point shots (235 of 762) and opponents are making 77.8% of their free throw attempts. They give up 14.5 dimes and 34.1 boards every game, which is ranked 265th and 161st in college hoops. The Trojans on defense are ranked 279th in college in points given up per game with 77.4. They have forced 12.2 TO's per game and have allowed teams to shoot 43.0% from the field (106th in college).

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take UCLA

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