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There have been very few instances this season where a Pac-12 game featured a pair of ranked schools. However, that will be the case late Friday night in the 2021 Pac-12 Tournament semifinals when No. 23 Colorado (21-7), the third seed, faces No. 24 USC (22-6), the No. 2 seed. The winner would take on either top-seeded Oregon or fifth-seeded Oregon State for the Pac-12 Tournament title on Saturday. Both the Buffaloes and Trojans have a single Pac-12 tournament title to their credit. The loser Friday still has no concerns about an at-large 2021 NCAA Tournament berth.

Tip-off is scheduled for 11:30 p.m. ET Friday from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The Buffaloes are 1.5-point favorites in the latest Colorado vs. USC odds from William Hill Sportsbook, and the over-under for total points scored is 134. Before locking in any USC vs. Colorado picks, be sure to see the college basketball predictions and betting advice from SportsLine's proven model.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. Over the past four-plus years, the proprietary computer model has generated an impressive profit of over $2,600 for $100 players on its top-rated college basketball picks against the spread. It has also returned over $400 on all top-rated college basketball picks this season. Anyone who has followed it has seen huge returns.

Now, the model has set its sights on Colorado vs. Southern Cal in the Pac-12 Tournament 2021. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several college basketball odds and trends for Southern Cal vs. Colorado:

  • Colorado vs. USC: Buffaloes -1.5
  • Colorado vs. USC over-under: 134 points
  • Colorado vs. USC money line: Colorado -120; USC +100
  • COL: The Buffaloes are 5-2 ATS in their last seven games following a straight up win.
  • USC: The Trojans are 16-7 ATS in their last 23 neutral site games.

Why USC can cover 

History says that it's very hard in college basketball for one team to lose to another three times in one season, which is what is facing USC in this spot. Like the Buffaloes, the Trojans are 16-12 ATS overall this season. USC played just one ranked team all season and routed then-No. 21 UCLA 66-48 to easily cover the number. The Trojans are 9-3 ATS in their past 12 as underdogs dating to last season.

Southern Cal was pushed to the limit and then some Thursday in a 91-85 double overtime win over Utah. Freshman sensation Evan Mobley, in foul trouble in the first half, scored 13 of his 26 points in the two overtimes and also finished with nine rebounds and five blocks. Colorado has no one who can solely deal with the potential No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, but then few teams in the country do. Mobley was named the Pac-12 Player of the Year, Freshman of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year.

Why Colorado can cover

Colorado already has taken care of Southern Cal twice this season, covering the number in both. On Feb. 25 in Boulder, the Buffs were -3.5 and rolled 80-62 behind 24 points and 11 rebounds from reserve Jeriah Horne and a career-high 14 assists from star CU point guard McKinley Wright IV, one of the best in the country and a first-team All-Pac-12 selection. On New Year's Eve in Los Angeles, Colorado was +4 and won 72-62 behind Wright's 19 points, four rebounds, four assists and three steals.

The Buffs seem to play their best against good teams, covering six of their past eight against opponents with a winning percentage of at least .600. Should this be a close game late and it come down to the free-throw line, advantage Colorado. It leads the country in shooting 83.1 percent (school record) from the charity stripe. CU also has the advantage of Southern Cal being pushed to double overtime on Thursday night and the key Trojans players getting heavy minutes. 

How to make Colorado vs. USC picks

The model is leaning over on the total, projecting the teams to combine for 138 points. It also says one side of the spread hits well over 50 percent of the time. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.

So who wins Colorado vs. USC? And which side of the spread hits well over 50 percent of the time? Visit SportsLine right now to see which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the computer model that has crushed its college basketball picks.