USC Trojans vs Iowa Hawkeyes Prediction, 1/28/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: USC Trojans vs Iowa Hawkeyes

Date: Wednesday, January 28, 2026

Location: Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, IA

TV: ESPN+

Carver-Hawkeye Arena is the location where the Iowa Hawkeyes (14-5) will take on the USC Trojans (15-5) on Wednesday.

The USC Trojans stepped onto the hardwood against Wisconsin and walked away with a win by a score of 73-71 in their last contest. When discussing personal fouls, the Trojans ended up walking away with 15 while Wisconsin finished the game with 17 personal fouls. They buried 9 out of their 37 tries from 3-point land. Wisconsin finished shooting 80.0% when shooting free throws by converting 16 of their 20 attempts. In addition, Wisconsin pulled down 38 rebounds (16 offensive, 22 defensive), but didn't notch a block. Wisconsin dished out 10 assists and had 3 steals for the contest. Pertaining to the defense, USC let their opponent shoot 34.3% from the floor on 23 out of 67 shooting. They also recorded 9 assists in this matchup while creating 6 turnovers and getting 3 steals. In relation to hauling in boards, they collected 38 with 12 of them being of the offensive variety. At the free throw line, the Trojans made 17 of 23 shots for a rate of 73.9%. USC wrapped up the game having earned a 41.0% FG percentage (25 out of 61) and made 6 out of their 24 shots from beyond the perimeter.

Chad Baker-Mazara is one guy who was a major factor for this game. He ended up with 29 points on 10 of 22 shooting. He saw the court for 38 mins and also pulled down 4 boards. He ended up shooting 45.5% from the floor and dished out 3 dimes.

Get all of our NCAA Parlay Picks

USC will enter this matchup with a record of 15-5 on the season. They have an average of 82.1 pts per game (80th in the country) while connecting on 46.7% from the field. The Trojans are connecting on 31.8% on three-point shots (129 of 406) and 71.4% from the charity stripe. As a unit, USC is pulling down 37.9 rebounds per contest and has totaled 319 assists for the season, which has them ranked 92nd in D-1 in terms of passing. They are losing possession via turnover 12.2 times per game and as a group are committing 19.4 personal fouls per game.

On defense, the Trojans are forcing 12.6 turnovers per contest and they draw 21.9 fouls. They are giving up 30.2% on 3-point shots and they rank 228th in college hoops in points per game allowed (75.5). The Trojans defensively are giving up a FG percentage of 41.5% (512 of 1,234) and they concede 33.8 rebounds per contest as a group. They rank 209th in the nation in allowing assists with 278 conceded so far this season.

The last time they took the court, the Iowa Hawkeyes walked away with a victory by a final of 68-62 against Rutgers. Regarding cleaning the glass, Iowa permitted Rutgers to pull down 29 in all (8 on the offensive side). They finished 27.8% from distance by shooting 5 out of 18 and finished the contest at 19 of 24 from the free throw line (79.2%). The Hawkeyes allowed Rutgers to convert 19 of 44 attempts from the field which had them shooting 43.2% for this contest. At the conclusion of this game, the Hawkeyes finished shooting 24 for 51 from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 47.1%. When talking about shooting from 3-point land, Iowa converted 7 out of 19 attempts (36.8%). They were able to knock down 13 of the free throw tries for a percentage of 81.3%. Rutgers had 19 fouls in the game which took the Hawkeyes to the free throw line for a total of 16 attempts. They also coughed it up 12 times, while recording 9 steals for this game. The Hawkeyes were able to pull down 14 defensive boards and 5 offensive boards for a total of 19 for the game.

Bennett Stirtz ended up being a factor for the Hawkeyes for the contest. He earned 20 points in his 40 mins on the court and accumulated 5 dimes for the matchup. He converted 8 of 21 for the matchup giving him a rate of 38.1%, and tallied 4 rebounds.

Iowa has a mark of 14-5 on the season. When it comes to offense, the Hawkeyes are shooting 50.9% from the field, which is ranked 14th in Division 1. Iowa has scored 1,480 points so far this season (77.9 per contest) and they pull down 30.6 boards per contest. They are dishing out assists 16.4 times per game (64th in the nation) and they turn it over 10.4 times per game. The Hawkeyes are responsible for committing 18.1 personal fouls every game and they go 76.9% from the charity stripe.

The Hawkeyes on the defensive end are ranked 4th in the nation in PPG surrendered with 62.4. They are able to force 14.5 turnovers per game and have allowed teams to shoot 43.4% from the floor (166th in the nation). The Iowa defense gives up 30.4% on shots from distance (108 of 355) and their opponents are converting on 70.8% of their foul shots. They concede 10.8 dimes and 28.3 boards per game, which ranks them 22nd and 2nd in Division 1.

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Iowa

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here

Get college basketball picks on every single game, or if you want our very best bets by the experts, sign up for your free $60 account with a guarantee.