USC vs San Diego Prediction 12/9/2025 Today’s College Basketball Picks

The USC Trojans and the San Diego Toreros meet Tuesday in college basketball action from Jenny Craig Pavilion in San Diego. Here’s a USC vs San Diego prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best USC vs San Diego pick. We will examine the recent form and player performances for both teams, as well as the recent betting trends and streaks pertaining to this matchup. As we conclude, we will tie it all together with a summary that produces a sensible pick for a favorable betting outcome in this game.

USC Trojans Betting Preview

It’s been a nice overall run for USC thus far. The Trojans opened on an 8-0 stretch, taking out Cal Poly, Manhattan and Illinois State in their first three. Following a one-point triple-overtime win over Troy, USC followed that up with wins over Boise State, Seton Hall and Arizona State. A win over Oregon on the road would give USC a spotless record across their first eight games of the season.

On Saturday versus Washington, the Trojans were up comfortably 48-30 by the break. USC lost the handle in the second half on a 54-28 deficit though, and ended up losing 84-76. Chad Baker-Mazara finished with 21 points, six rebounds and two assists while Jordan Marsh had 17 points and three assists. Jerry Easter also finished in double-digits with 13 points, four boards and four assists.

San Diego Toreros Betting Preview

Over on the San Diego side, they opened the year on a nice 3-1 run but things haven’t gone so smoothly since. The Toreros lost to Idaho State in that first quartet with wins otherwise versus Occidental, Idaho and Grambling. Since then however, it’s been an 0-4 stretch. The losses in that run were versus UC Riverside, Cal Baptist, Long Beach State and San Jose State in succession. That gives the Toreros a 3-5 overall run across their first eight games of the year.

Matched up against San Jose State in a road game at Provident Credit Union Event Center on Friday, the Toreros limped to an 86-69 loss. Tops in scoring was Tim Moore, the only player on the team to finish in double-digits with 17 points and three boards in 22 minutes of work off the bench. Juanse Gorosito got close with nine points and three boards, while Adrian McIntyre had nine bench points, four boards, three assists and three steals in the losing effort for San Diego.

USC Trojans @ San Diego Toreros Betting Trends: December 9, 2025

Why the USC Trojans will win

• San Diego has lost each of its last 25 night games against AP-ranked opponents.
• USC has won 11 of its last 12 games against non-Conference opponents.
• USC has won the first half in nine of its last 12 games against non-Conference opponents.

USC vs San Diego Prediction

I’ll stay with USC. The Trojans were looking good in the first half versus Washington but completely imploded after the break; they’ll need a good bounce-back effort here. USC shot just 36.7 percent from the field in their loss to the Huskies, along with a 42-28 rebounding deficit and a 40-24 disadvantage on points in the paint. USC has posted 70 or more points in every game so far though, and this is a good opportunity for them to get back on the proverbial horse.

As for San Diego, they shot pretty poorly from the field (32 percent) and gave up 55 percent on the other side in their latest loss versus San Jose State. The Toreros were out-rebounded 45-30 in that one and had a 38-26 disadvantage on points in the paint. During this four-game losing streak, the Toreros have given up 76 or more points in each outing. It’s tough to imagine them staying too close in this one.

Andrew Jett's Pick: USC Trojans -17