Iowa vs. USC betting: College basketball preview for Jan. 28

Data Skrive
Data Skrive

Big Ten foes square off when the Iowa Hawkeyes (14-5, 4-4 Big Ten) host the USC Trojans (15-5, 4-5 Big Ten) at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, beginning at 7 p.m. ET on Wednesday, January 28, 2026. The Hawkeyes are 9.5-point favorites in the game. The matchup’s point total is set at 141.5.

Check out all the Latest NCAA Basketball Betting Previews!

Spread

Iowa Cover -9.5 vs USC -110

Bet $20, Payout $38.18

Iowa vs. USC betting lines

  • Iowa moneyline odds to win: -500
  • USC moneyline odds to win: +375
  • Spread: Iowa (-9.5)
  • Total: 141.5

Iowa statistics, trends and more

As the home team

  • When playing at home, Iowa sports a better record against the spread (7-4-0) compared to its ATS record in road games (3-2-0).
  • The Hawkeyes have exceeded the over/under more often at home, hitting the over in eight of 11 home matchups (72.7%). In road games, they have hit the over in two of five games (40%).
  • Iowa has won a higher percentage of its matchups as a moneyline favorite when playing at home, going 10-0 (1.000). When playing on the road as a moneyline favorite, it has a record of 0-1 (.000).

Recent trends

  • The Hawkeyes have seen a downturn in scoring lately, racking up 76.1 points per game in their last 10 outings, 1.8 points fewer than the 77.9 they’ve scored this season.
  • Iowa has been slightly better on the defensive end of the floor recently, giving up 62.2 points per game over its last 10 outings compared to the 62.4 it has surrendered per game this season.
  • While the Hawkeyes are hitting more threes per game over their past 10 contests (8.3 per game) in comparison to their season-long average (8.2), they are doing so while shooting a lower percentage (36.9% from beyond the arc over the last 10, 37.3% on the season).

Iowa betting records this season

  • ATS Record: 13-6-0 (Home: 7-4-0; Away: 3-2-0)
  • ATS Record When Favored by 9.5+: 7-3-0 (As Favorite: 10-4-0; As Underdog: 3-2-0)
  • O-U-P: 11-8-0 (Home: 8-3-0; Away: 2-3-0)
  • Record When Moneyline Favorite: 13-1 (Home: 10-0; Away: 0-1)
  • Record When Moneyline Underdog: 1-4 (Home: 0-1; Away: 1-3)
Field Goal % Opp. Field Goal % Rebounds Opp. Rebounds Assists Turnovers
50.9 (14th in nation) 43.4 (157th) 27.7 (347th) 25.6 (third) 16.4 (60th) 9.8 (50th)

Need to know more about sports betting before you put down a wager on Iowa vs. USC? Here’s everything you need to know about how to bet.

USC statistics, trends and more

As the away team

  • USC’s winning percentage against the spread at home is .556 (5-4-0). On the road, it is .500 (3-3-0).
  • Trojans games have gone above the over/under 55.6% of the time at home (five of nine), and 33.3% of the time away (two of six).
  • The Trojans, as moneyline underdogs, have won a lower percentage of games at home (0-1) than on the road (2-2) this year.

Recent trends

  • The Trojans have played worse offensively in their past 10 games, posting 74.7 points per contest, 7.4 fewer points their than season average of 82.1.
  • USC has fared better defensively in its past 10 games, surrendering 72.4 points per contest, 3.1 fewer points than its season average of 75.5 allowed.
  • The Trojans are sinking 4.6 treys per game over their past 10 games, which is 1.9 fewer three-pointers than their average for the season (6.5). In addition, they sport a lower three-point percentage over their previous 10 contests (23.7%) compared to their season average from three-point land (31.8%).

USC betting records this season

  • ATS Record: 10-9-0 (Home: 5-4-0; Away: 3-3-0)
  • ATS Record When Underdog by 9.5+: 0-2-0 (As Favorite: 7-7-0; As Underdog: 3-2-0)
  • O-U-P: 8-11-0 (Home: 5-4-0; Away: 2-4-0)
  • Record When Moneyline Favorite: 12-2 (Home: 6-2; Away: 2-0)
  • Record When Moneyline Underdog: 2-3 (Home: 0-1; Away: 2-2)
Field Goal % Opp. Field Goal % Rebounds Opp. Rebounds Assists Turnovers
46.7 (104th in nation) 41.5 (62nd) 34.4 (89th) 30.6 (153rd) 16.0 (78th) 11.8 (234th)
Author Profile
BetDecider Team

The BetDecider team brings you the most current sports betting content, with expert insights and tips. Our aim is that you can make an informed betting decision, including best odds and exclusive sportsbook offers, to maximize your betting experience.

Ryan Knuppel

Knup Solutions [molongui_author_name]

About Ryan Knuppel

Ryan has been one of the leading sports business & iGaming professionals for over 15 years. He started as a freelance writer and now operates one of the top sports content agencies around, Knup Solutions. He has literally written 10,000 plus sports and betting related articles across the web.

 

Sports Network:

sports20.com, usawager.com, knupsports.com, baseballspotlight.com, basketballarticles.com, betdecider.com, njsportsbookreview.com, dunkelindex.com, sportspub.com, oddschoice.com

 

Betting Guide

How Money Line Works?

Moneyline betting is by far the easiest way to place a sports wager. There are no point spreads to parse, no garbage-time free throws to ruin your betting day, and no last-minute meaningless touchdowns to take you from a winner to a loser.

How to Bet Odds

When we, as sports fans, learned our multiplication tables, we aced the number 7. Seven, 14, 21, 28, 35, 42 were easy because we all watched football on the weekends. Multiplication by sevens, then add a three, a six after a missed PAT.

How to Bet on NFL Games

Baseball is America’s pastime, but football is America’s crazed passion, with its weekly schedule of games, millions of television viewers across the country and the world, and the billion-dollar stadiums that serve as Sunday cathedrals in 32 American cities.

What is the Spread?

If you are a golfer or have ever played on a bowling team, think of a point spread like a handicap. It is a way for two teams of differing abilities to play each other on equal footing.  The better team, and the favorite in the game, gives a certain amount …