The Northwestern Wildcats (8-10, 0-7 Big Ten) are 6.5-point underdogs as they attempt to break a four-game road losing streak when they square off against the USC Trojans (14-4, 3-4 Big Ten) on Wednesday, January 21, 2026 at Galen Center. The matchup airs at 11 p.m. ET on Big Ten Network. The point total in the matchup is set at 149.5.

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USC vs. Northwestern betting lines

• USC moneyline odds to win: -302
• Northwestern moneyline odds to win: +242
• Spread: USC (-6.5)
• Total: 149.5

USC statistics, trends and more

As the home team

• USC has covered the spread in a higher percentage of its home games than away games. It has covered five times in eight opportunities at home, and it has covered two times in five opportunities in road games.
• The Trojans have gone over the over/under in five of eight home games (62.5%), compared to two of five road games (40%).
• USC has performed worse as a moneyline favorite at home, putting up a home record of 6-1, compared to going 2-0 on the road.

Recent trends

• The Trojans have been racking up 77.6 points per contest in their last 10 appearances, an average that’s a little lower than the 83.4 they’ve scored over the course of the 2025-26 season.
• USC’s defense has been tougher as of late, as the team has allowed 74.4 points per game over its past 10 compared to the 75.8 points per game its opponents average this season.
• The Trojans’ past 10 outings have seen them make 5.5 three-pointers per game while shooting 28.1% from beyond the arc. Both numbers are down compared to their 2025-26 averages of 6.7 makes and 32.8%.

USC betting records this season

• ATS Record: 9-8-0 (Home: 5-3-0; Away: 2-3-0)
• ATS Record When Favored by 6.5+: 5-4-0 (As Favorite: 7-6-0; As Underdog: 2-2-0)
• O-U-P: 8-9-0 (Home: 5-3-0; Away: 2-3-0)
• Record When Moneyline Favorite: 12-1 (Home: 6-1; Away: 2-0)
• Record When Moneyline Underdog: 1-3 (Home: 0-1; Away: 1-2)

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Northwestern statistics, trends and more

As the away team

• Northwestern has been better against the spread at home (3-7-0) than away (1-3-0) this year.
• In terms of the over/under, Wildcats games have gone over four of 10 times at home (40%), and three of four away (75%).
• The Wildcats, when moneyline underdogs, have won the same percentage of games at home (0-2) as on the road (0-2) this year.

Recent trends

• The Wildcats are posting 74.4 points per game over their previous 10 games, which is 2.9 fewer points than their average for the season (77.3).
• In its last 10 games, Northwestern is ceding 72.3 points per game, 0.4 more points than its season average (71.9).
• Over their past 10 games, the Wildcats are making 6.2 three-pointers per game, 0.1 fewer threes than their season average (6.3). They also have a lower three-point percentage over their last 10 contests (28.6%) compared to their season average (31.4%).

Northwestern betting records this season

• ATS Record: 5-13-0 (Home: 3-7-0; Away: 1-3-0)
• ATS Record When Underdog by 6.5+: 1-2-0 (As Favorite: 3-9-0; As Underdog: 2-4-0)
• O-U-P: 10-8-0 (Home: 4-6-0; Away: 3-1-0)
• Record When Moneyline Favorite: 8-4 (Home: 6-2; Away: 1-1)
• Record When Moneyline Underdog: 0-6 (Home: 0-2; Away: 0-2)