USC vs. Washington: 2018-19 college basketball game preview, TV schedule

A vital showdown in the Pac-12 Conference is coming up on Wednesday, as USC travels to the smoking-hot conference leader, Washington.

TV schedule: Wednesday, January 30, 11:00 pm ET. FS1.
Arena: Alaska Airlines Arena in Seattle, Wash.

Two Pac-12 teams trending in positive directions, and at the top of the league race, will do battle on Wednesday night. Washington (16-4, 7-0), which has won nine in a row, will host USC (12-8, 5-2) at Alaska Airlines Arena, where the Huskies are a perfect 10-0 so far in the 2018-19 campaign.

The Trojans themselves are faring well of late, having captured three-straight successes over Arizona, Arizona State and UCLA. At this juncture, Washington is ahead of both USC and Utah by two affairs in the conference standings.

While the Huskies don’t own a bunch of conquests against really good groups, three of their four losses are to strong crews in Auburn, Gonzaga and Virginia Tech. What’s more, during Washington’s current winning streak, it has not allowed more than 70 points in a game, and its opponents are connecting on a paltry 28.4 percent from downtown, per the university’s athletics department.

That doesn’t bode well for the Trojans, a unit that shoots roughly 37 percent from beyond the arc and averages nearly 78 points. On the other end of the court, USC isn’t all that stellar on defense, giving up more than 72 points every 40 minutes.

The Huskies, meanwhile, are a bit lackluster on offense, only scoring approximately 72 points per contest. Washington, rather, is known for its tenacity on the defensive side, a product of its second-year head coach, Mike Hopkins. He’s a former assistant at Syracuse, where Hopkins and legendary boss Jim Boeheim did some magical things together with that trademark 2-3 zone. I’m a total homer when it comes to Hopkins, because the Orange is my alma mater, and I’ve followed his coaching career for quite a long time.

In perusing various statistical categories, the Trojans have the edge in 3-point shooting, rebounding and assists. The Huskies hold advantages in field-goal and free-throw percentages, as well as blocks and steals.

Overall in their series, USC is 74-72 versus Washington, although the Trojans have struggled on the road in 2018-19, to the tune of an 0-4 record. The Huskies, at 7-0 in Pac-12 competition, are off to their finest start in conference play dating back to the 1952-53 term.

Presently, a pool of bracketologists views Washington, with a NCAA NET rating of 31st, as a No. 9 seed in the projected field of 68 for the Big Dance. USC’s NCAA NET ranking, by the way, is No. 76.

In general, the Pac-12 isn’t getting a lot of love as it pertains to March Madness, however, the Trojans could begin to inch their way toward the conversation by notching a triumph at the Huskies. ESPN’s Basketball Power Index says that Washington has an 81.0 percent chance to prevail. I think that USC will stay within striking distance, but the Huskies will ultimately emerge victorious, moving closer to a spot in the AP top-25 poll.

Prediction: Washington 77 – USC 72