Ohio State vs USC Prediction 2/26/25 College Basketball Picks

The Ohio State Buckeyes and the USC Trojans meet Wednesday in college basketball action from Galen Center. Here’s a Ohio State vs USC prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Ohio State vs USC pick. We will examine: 

The Ohio State Buckeyes’ recent form and player performance

The USC Trojans’ recent form and player performance 

Recent betting trends and streaks involving the Ohio State Buckeyes

Recent betting trends and streaks involving the USC Trojans

Recent betting trends in games played between Ohio State and USC

A summary that ties it all together and produces a favorable betting outcome for the Ohio State vs USC game

Ohio State Buckeyes Betting Preview

The Buckeyes have had a pretty choppy year amid some tough opponents, but they’ve managed to stay above the .500 mark overall. Ohio State opened on a 10-5 run with losses to only Texas A&M, Pitt, Maryland, Auburn and Michigan State. A 3-3 stretch ensued with losses to Oregon, Wisconsin, and Indiana, but since then Ohio State has gone just 2-5 in the last seven. The wins at that time were over Maryland and Washington. Otherwise, it was losses to Illinois, Nebraska, Michigan, Northwestern, and UCLA. That gives the Buckeyes a season record of 15-13 overall through the first 28 games so far. 

In their last game on Sunday versus UCLA, Ohio State was down 28-24 by the end of the first half. The Buckeyes fell further behind on a 41-37 run from there and took the loss 69-61 in the end. Leading the team in scoring was Bruce Thornton with 21 points, four rebounds, three assists, and two steals. Micah Parrish added 12 points with seven rebounds, one assist and one steal. 

USC Trojans Betting Preview 

Over on the Trojans’ side, they’re in much the same boat record-wise. USC has beaten a few big teams this year, though. During an 11-6 opening run, the Trojans fell to Cal, Saint Mary’s, New Mexico, Oregon, Michigan, and Indiana. USC has won just three games since then, taking out Nebraska, Michigan State, and Penn State in that trio. Otherwise, it’s been losses to Wisconsin, UCLA, Northwestern, Purdue, Minnesota, Maryland, and Rutgers. In total that gives USC a 14-13 overall record through 27 games. 

Matched up against the Scarlet Knights in their latest outing, USC was down by five points at the start of the second half. The Trojans didn’t end up getting any closer than that on a 51-46 run and took the road loss 95-85. Desmond Claude led the team in the losing effort with his 30 points, two rebounds, and two assists. Wesley Yates added 23 points with three rebounds and three assists in 40 minutes, while Rashaun Agee led the bench players on eight points with seven boards and three steals in 23 minutes of work on the floor. 

Why the USC Trojans will win

• USC has won 24 of its last 30 night games at Galen Center against non-AP-ranked opponents.
• Ohio State has lost four of its last five games against the Big Ten Conference.
• Ohio State has lost the first half in each of its last three games against Conference opponents.

Why the Ohio State Buckeyes will win

• USC has lost five of its last six night games.
• Ohio State has won five of its last six night games against the Big Ten Conference.
• Ohio State has won the first half in 19 of its last 24 games against non-AP-ranked opponents.

Ohio State vs USC Prediction 

I’ll lean toward USC, but I’m probably avoiding this one. You could call it either way depending on how you make the argument. In any case, the Trojans played pretty well on offense in their latest loss to Rutgers, notching 51.5 percent shooting from the field, 7-of-15 (46.7 percent) from 3-point range, and 10-of-14 (71.4 percent) from the line. USC had a 34-27 rebounding edge (18-10 offensive) as well. What went wrong then? Well, the 55.6 percent shooting allowed didn’t help, nor did USC’s 16 turnovers for 22 Rutgers points. The end result was another L, which makes it three in a row for USC. They’ve given up 88 or more points in consecutive games as well. 

Still, the Trojans are scoring well lately themselves and this should be a fairly high-total game. If USC can stay in control at home (and lower the turnovers) I think they’ve got a pretty decent shot.