Two old Pac-12 rivals meet in the Bay Area as the USC Trojans visit the California Golden Bears. Tip-off is set for 11 p.m. ET on Wednesday, November 11 at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley on ESPN2. USC enters as an 8.5-point favorite on PrizePicks.
The Trojans (2-0) have topped the 90-point mark in each of their first two victories against Milwaukee and Wichita State. The Golden Bears, meanwhile, (2-1) pulled away from Radford 84-70 last Wednesday but suffered an 18-point defeat to eighth-ranked Houston in Nevada on Sunday.
Below, we'll break down our USC vs. California prediction and picks for Wednesday's college basketball game, including the spread, over/under, and more from PrizePicks.
Make your USC vs. California prediction on PrizePicks now.
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#21 USC vs. California Prediction, Spread, Over/Under – Wednesday, November 11
The Trojans enter Wednesday’s game as 8.5-point road favorites against the Golden Bears. If Cal wins outright, it returns a 3.7x payout via PrizePicks Team Picks.
Here are the full payouts for the USC vs. California game on PrizePicks.
PrizePicks data is live at the time of writing and is subject to change.
Make your USC vs. California prediction on spread, over/under, and more on PrizePicks!
The Trojans showcase one of the top backcourts in the nation, featuring G Alijah Arenas (25.5 PPG) and G Rodney Rice (23.5 PPG). The two scorers combined to play 20 games last season, however, as Rice suffered a shoulder injury after six games and Arenas missed the first 14 games with a knee ailment.
USC owned an impressive 18-6 record last season before dropping its final seven regular-season contests, capped off by an overtime defeat to Washington in the Big Ten Tournament.
Head coach Eric Musselman’s squad has scored plenty of points through two wins, beating Milwaukee (95-63) and Wichita State (93-86). The Trojans shot 2-of-14 from deep against the Shockers but knocked down 37-of-42 free throw attempts.
Cal just put together its best season under head coach Mark Madsen, going 22-12 in his third campaign. The Golden Bears’ top four scorers from last season didn't return, as guards Michael Cooper (19.7 PPG) and Nojus Indrusaitis (18.7 PPG) lead Cal in scoring through three games this time around.
Cal never led in an 86-68 defeat to Houston, trailing by as many as 23 points in the second half. The Golden Bears shot 51.6% on 2-point attempts. This program has never shot better than 51.0% on 2-pointers in a season under Madsen, according to KenPom.
USC defeated Cal eight straight times during their tenure as Pac-12 rivals from 2019 through 2024, but the Golden Bears have captured the past two meetings. This is the first matchup with both schools outside the Pac-12.
USC vs. California Prediction on Winner – 11/11/26
Here are the key game stats and trends behind our USC vs. California prediction on the winner for Wednesday, November 11.
- The Trojans have won 13 consecutive games against teams outside the Big Ten. USC compiled a 7-5 against-the-spread (ATS) mark against Division I squads.
- USC played one true non-conference road game last season, defeating San Diego 94-81.
- Cal posted both a 2-3 straight-up and ATS record last season as a home underdog. All five games came within the ACC, including wins over North Carolina and SMU.
- USC attempted 42 free throws against Wichita State. Cal has allowed 26 free throw tries in the last two games combined.
- Cal’s turnover rate last season ranked 76th in the country at 15.1%. Albeit through two games against D-I foes, that number has jumped to 21.1%.
- Arenas’ point projection on PrizePicks is set at 20.5 coming off a 30-point effort against Wichita State. In his freshman season, Arenas scored at least 21 points in just three of 14 outings.
- Rice has dished out 9 assists in each of the first two wins for USC. His assists projection sits at 4.5; he's averaging 7.5 dimes in eight career games with the Trojans.
Lock in your USC vs. California prediction on PrizePicks before tonight’s game.
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Make USC vs. California Picks on PrizePicks
The Trojans and Golden Bears are no longer conference rivals but it's still a meaningful matchup when these schools get together. Can Cal bounce back from its loss to Houston, or will USC roll to another non-conference victory?
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