USC vs Washington State Pick & Prediction for Thursday

The Washington State Cougars aim to shrug off a disappointing loss against Arizona State and take their frustrations out on the USC Trojans. Will that actually happen Thursday night?

If you created a list of the most disappointing teams in college hoops, USC is near the top of the list.

The Trojans entered the season nationally ranked and now sit 11-16 and near the bottom of the Pac-12. They played without Isaiah Collier for over a month and Boogie Ellis missed some games, but USC has enough talent that it should have a better record.

Fortunately for the Trojans, they've shown promise in the past three games, beating Utah, losing in OT to Colorado and beating UCLA in Pauley Pavilion.

USC looks better than it has in months, and it’s coming at the perfect time. We have a few weeks until the conference tournament, and USC could snag the auto-bid if things break right.

Ellis and Collier could single-handedly win USC games in the postseason. Ellis is coming off 24-plus-point performances in the past two games, while Collier tallied 25 in the loss to Colorado.

Remember when USC beat Kansas State in the season opener? That version of the Trojans could be back.

However, USC offers zero perimeter shooting resistance on defense, and opponents shoot 38% from deep against them while attempting 3s on 39% of field-goal attempts.

Andy Enfield’s most successful teams in L.A. used a successful zone defense, but that's now haunting them.

ESPN BET has officially launched launching their new sportsbook. Register with Action’s ESPN BET promo code TANBONUS for a welcome offer!

The biggest question in college hoops is quite simple: Is Washington State good?

If the Cougars can slow down a game and dominate the post, then yes. Otherwise, we saw issues arise in the Cougars' loss to Arizona State on Feb. 24.

Washington State shot 6-of-18 from 3 in its win over Arizona on Feb. 22 and went just 3-of-21 two days later in Tempe. Shooting isn’t the Cougars' strength, as they shoot 34% from 3 as a team on low volume.

Jaylen Wells is Wazzu’s only above-average shooter, hitting 44% of shots from distance. At 6-foot-8, Wells flashes ball-handling ability and elite shooting prowess at the starting two-guard spot.

Wells plays the role of a bigger shooting guard, as Washington State is the second-tallest team in America, per KenPom. The Cougars' only starter below 6-foot-7 is point guard Myles Rice, who stands 6-foot-3. Even backup point guard Kymany Houinsou comes in at 6-foot-7.

Head coach Kyle Smith brought in size this offseason, and it regularly overwhelms opponents.

Isaac Jones is the Cougars' leading scorer and rebounder with 15.8 points and 7.7 rebounds per game. An Idaho transfer, he has become a huge piece of Washington State's attack on both ends of the floor.

The one area where Washington State owns a major advantage in this matchup is on the glass. USC is a bottom-50 team in defensive rebounding percentage, while Wazzu ranks top-100 in offensive and defensive rebounding percentage.

Between Jones, Oscar Cluff and Rueben Chinyelu, Washington State has plenty of long arms crashing the boards.

Arizona State beat Wazzu by upping the tempo. USC could bring a similar attack as a much faster-paced team than Washington State.

If the Cougars struggle to stop dribble penetration from Collier and Ellis, the Trojans should keep the game within arm's reach. USC holds a bit of value here.

Pick: USC +7.5