USC vs. Northwestern Dunkel Predictions & Vegas Odds - Jan. 21

The USC Trojans (14-4, 3-4 Big Ten) take on the Northwestern Wildcats (8-10, 0-7 Big Ten) as 6.5-point favorites on Wednesday, January 21, 2026 at 11 p.m. ET on Big Ten Network. The point total for the matchup is set at 149.5.

USC fell in its most recent outing 69-64 against Purdue on Saturday. In the losing effort, Chad Baker-Mazara paced USC with 15 points. Northwestern lost its last game 77-58 against Nebraska on Saturday. Nick Martinelli scored 22 points in Northwestern's loss, leading the team.

USC vs. Northwestern Odds and Game Time

• When: Wednesday, January 21, 2026 at 11 p.m. ET
• Where: Galen Center in Los Angeles, California
• Spread favorite: USC -6.5
• Moneyline favorite: USC -302
• Moneyline underdog: Northwestern +242
• Over/Under: 149.5 points

How to watch USC vs. Northwestern

• TV Channel: Big Ten Network
• Live Stream: Fubo
• Check out the rest of our Dunkel Index NCAA Basketball Picks!

Betting the Over/Under: USC vs. Northwestern

• A total of 12 of USC's games this season have gone over Wednesday's over/under of 149.5 points.
• A total of 10 of Northwestern's games have finished with a combined score higher than 149.5 points this season.
• The Trojans average 83.4 points per game against the Wildcats' 77.3, amounting to 11.2 points over the matchup's over/under of 149.5.
• The 147.7 points per game these two teams allow to opponents combined this season are 1.8 less than the 149.5-point total in this contest.
• This season, the average over/under for USC's games is 159.2 points, 9.7 more than the total of 149.5 points set for this contest.
• A difference of 0.2 points separates this matchup's over/under (149.5 points) and the average over/under in Northwestern's games (149.3) this season.

Betting the Spread: USC vs. Northwestern

• USC has nine wins against the spread in 17 games this year.
• The Trojans have an ATS record of 5-4 in their nine games when favored by 6.5 points or more so far this season.
• Northwestern is 5-13-0 against the spread this season.
• This year, the Wildcats have just one ATS win in three games as an underdog of 6.5 points or more.
• USC is 6-2 overall, and 5-3 against the spread, at home.
• USC is 4-2 ATS as a 6.5-point favorite or more at home.
• Away from home, Northwestern has only one win against the spread and are 1-3 overall.

Betting the Moneyline: USC vs. Northwestern

• This season, USC has won 12 out of the 13 games, or 92.3%, in which it has been the moneyline favorite.
• The Trojans have been at least a -302 moneyline favorite eight times this season and won each of those games.
• The moneyline for this contest implies a 75.1% chance of a victory for USC.
• Northwestern has been named as the moneyline underdog six times this season but has yet to come away with a victory in any of those games.
• This season, the Wildcats have been a moneyline underdog of -302 or more three times, losing every contest.
• Northwestern has an implied victory probability of 29.2% according to the moneyline set by sportsbooks for this matchup.

Dunkel Index Prediction for USC vs. Northwestern

• Pick ATS: Northwestern (+ 6.5)
• Pick OU: Under (149.5)
  
• Prediction: USC 74 - Northwestern 72