USC Trojans vs Minnesota Golden Gophers Prediction, 1/9/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: USC Trojans vs Minnesota Golden Gophers

Date: Friday, January 9, 2026

Location: Williams Arena in Minneapolis, MN

TV: ESPN+

The Minnesota Golden Gophers (10-5) will take on the USC Trojans (12-3) at Williams Arena on Friday.

The USC Trojans faced Michigan State and took a loss by a score of 80-51 in their last game. USC wrapped up the game with a 32.7% field goal percentage (18 of 55) and knocked down 3 out of their 17 shots from 3-point land. When they shot from the charity stripe, the Trojans converted 12 of their 16 attempts for a rate of 75.0%. Pertaining to grabbing boards, they compiled 29 with 8 of them being offensive. They also doled out 10 dimes in this contest in addition to forcing the opposition into 11 turnovers and getting 6 steals. Concerning defending, USC allowed the other team to shoot 50.0% from the floor on 30 of 60 shooting. Michigan State distributed 16 assists and had 9 steals for the game. On top of that, Michigan State collected 38 rebounds (10 offensive, 28 defensive), but didn't record a block for the team. Michigan State finished 72.2% from the charity stripe by burying 13 of 18 tries. They also converted 7 out of their 22 attempts from 3-point land. Regarding personal fouls, the Trojans ended up finishing with 17 while Michigan State totaled 14 personal fouls.

Ezra Ausar is a player who was a factor in this contest. He recorded 16 points on 5 of 11 shooting. He was on the court for 30 minutes and also snagged 7 rebounds. He ended up going 45.5% from the floor and earned 1 assist.

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USC steps onto the hardwood with a record of 12-3 this year. They average 85.3 points per outing (53rd in college hoops) while hitting 47.5% from the floor. The Trojans are hitting 34.3% on 3-point shots (104 of 303) and 72.9% from the free throw line. As a unit, USC is grabbing 37.3 boards per contest and has accumulated 240 assists for the year, which ranks 115th in D-1 in terms of passing. They turn it over 13.1 times per game and as a team are committing 19.7 personal fouls per game.

On the defensive end, the Trojans are forcing their opponents into 13.9 turnovers per game while drawing 23.0 personal fouls. They are 171st in college hoops in giving up assists to the opposition with 204 surrendered on the campaign. The Trojans defensively are allowing an opponent shooting percentage of 41.8% (393 of 940) and they concede 34.1 rebounds per game as a unit. They are surrendering 30.3% from beyond the arc and they are 272nd in college in PPG allowed (77.0).

The last time they took the hardwood, the Minnesota Golden Gophers took home the win by a final score of 70-67 when they played Iowa. Regarding attacking the glass, Minnesota allowed Iowa to get 34 in all (10 offensive). They finished shooting 26.9% from three-point range via 7 out of 26 and finished the contest at 10 out of 13 at the free throw line (76.9%). The Golden Gophers permitted Iowa to bury 25 out of their 63 attempts from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 39.7% in this contest. When all was said and done, the Golden Gophers finished shooting 22 out of 47 from the floor which gave them a rate of 46.8%. When discussing 3-point shots, Minnesota converted 5 of their 20 tries (25.0%). They were able to bury 21 of the free throw attempts for a percentage of 75.0%. Iowa earned 22 personal fouls in this contest which got the Golden Gophers to the charity stripe for a total of 28 attempts. They turned the ball over 10 times, while getting 10 steals for the game. The Golden Gophers earned 22 defensive rebounds and 3 offensive rebounds totaling 25 in the matchup.

Langston Reynolds ended up being a factor for the Golden Gophers for this contest. He totaled 22 points in his 39 mins on the hardwood and had 4 assists for the contest. He made 9 of 13 in this game for a field goal rate of 69.2%, and had 5 rebounds.

Minnesota has a mark of 10-5 for the campaign. The Golden Gophers commit 16.5 fouls per contest and they hit 69.5% from the free throw line. Their rate of earning assists is at 18.4 times per game (25th in college) and they turn the ball over 11.5 times per game. Minnesota has accumulated 1,099 points for the campaign (73.3 per contest) and they collect 35.1 boards per contest. On the offensive side of the court, the Golden Gophers are hitting on 46.4% from the field, which ranks 129th in college.

The Minnesota defense concedes 33.0% from downtown (107 of 324) and their opponents are knocking down 69.4% of their shots from the charity stripe. They have allowed 12.9 assists and 31.2 boards per game, which ranks them 158th and 44th in those categories. The Golden Gophers defensively are ranked 27th in college in points per game surrendered with 65.8. They are able to force 11.7 TO's per game and allow teams to shoot 41.8% from the field (94th in the nation).

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take USC

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