The Wildcats will play the Trojans on Wednesday, January 21st, 2026. Your timezone's tip off time is 11:00 pm EST. Check local listings or your nearest streaming app for coverage.
Review our College Basketball Betting guide to learn how to bet this game.
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Table of Contents
- Matchup Stats
- Moneyline Mage
- Best Odds
- Interactive Odds Example
- Prop Bets
- Team Standings
- Futures Odds
- Team Pages
- Other Games Today
Key Matchup Stats
Looking into the second half of the 2025-26 college basketball season, Northwestern and USC are set to hit the hardwood on Wednesday, January 21st, 2026. Luckily, we have some clear performance trends emerging now that each team has more than a dozen games under their belts. Use the following data to help analyze this matchup and to place an intelligent wager on its ultimate outcome.
- SportsBetting3.com Power Rankings - With the 2025-26 season in full stride, Northwestern currently has a 88.33 conference power ranking, while the SportsBetting3.com conference power ranking for USC is 94.33.
- Away Northwestern - Northwestern starts this game with a 1-3 record as an away team, ranking them 5th in the Big Ten Conference for away team wins.
- Home USC - USC meets Northwestern boasting a 7-2 record as a home team. They currently rank 5th in the Big Ten Conference for home team wins.
- Conference Win Percentage - Northwestern currently ranks 13th (0.000) in the Big Ten Conference, with USC now standing 7th (0.429) for their conference win percentage in the 2025 Big Ten Conference for the 2025-26 college basketball season.
- Overall Win Percentage - Northwestern has a 0.444 overall win percentage, with USC matching up with a 0.778 overall win percentage.
- Team Records - Northwestern currently possesses 8-10 regular season overall record. Meanwhile, USC has tallied a 14-4 standing as the 2025-26 college basketball season continues to unfold.
Moneyline Mage
Spelling out the winners with humor since the middle ages.

Hocus pocus! Northwestern faces USC in a magical matchup on January 21st.
Northwestern 8-10 overall, 0-7 in conference. USC 14-4 overall, 3-4 in conference.
Review the tables below to find the best point spread, total, and moneylines for this game. You can bet on college basketball legally at BetRivers and BetMGM. We've also listed each team's futures odds and current standings below.
Best Wildcats at Trojans Odds
| Underdog Northwestern | Favorite USC |
|---|---|
| Over | Under |
|---|---|
| Underdog Northwestern | Favorite USC |
|---|---|
Matchup Odds FAQs
USC is a -5.5 -115 point spread favorite at BetMGM, while Northwestern is a +5.5 -105 point spread underdog at BetMGM.
The best over line is 149.5 -110 points at BetMGM, which means you risk $110 to win $100 betting the over. The best under line is 149.5 -110 points at BetMGM, and that means you risk $110 to win $100 betting the under.
USC is a -250 moneyline favorite at BetMGM and Northwestern is a +200 moneyline underdog at BetMGM.
College Basketball Odds Example
|
Game |
Bet |
|---|---|
Northwestern
USC
1/21/26 11:00pm EST | +5.5 -105-5.5 -115 |
Underdog Northwestern - Northwestern bettors risk $100 to win $95.24 at -105 odds.
A +5.5 Northwestern underdog bet wins if they lose by 5 or fewer, tie, or win outright. Your bet loses if they lose by 6 or more.
Favorite USC - USC bettors risk $100 to win $86.96 at -115 odds.
A -5.5 USC favorite bet wins if they win by 6 or more. Your bet loses if they win by 5 or fewer, tie, or lose outright.
Northwestern at USC Prop Bets
Important Note: Some states expressly forbid individual college athlete prop bets. The following wagers may not be available depending on your particular state laws.
Bet |
|
|---|---|
Northwestern
USC
First to 5 Points
1/21/26 11:00pm EST | +105-145Bet |
Northwestern
USC
First to 10 Points
1/21/26 11:00pm EST | +110-155Bet |
Northwestern
USC
First to 15 Points
1/21/26 11:00pm EST | +120-165Bet |
Northwestern
USC
Game to Overtime
1/21/26 11:00pm EST | Yes +825No -3000Bet |
Team Standings
| Team | W-L | Win% | Home | Away | Conf | CGB | Conf% | Strk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USC | 15-5 | 0.750 | 7-3 | 4-2 | 4-5 | +5 | 0.444 | W1 |
| Northwestern | 9-11 | 0.450 | 6-5 | 2-4 | 1-8 | +8 | 0.111 | L1 |
Northwestern & USC Futures Odds
Latest College Basketball Championship odds, if available, for each team. Review March Madness odds for other teams and learn how to bet on the college basketball tournament. Also be sure to read Ron Halfback's Final Four write-up.
Northwestern Championship Odds|
Team |
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| OH,US ncaabb Evnum: 1 Odds Pending |
|
Team |
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| OH,US ncaabb Evnum: 1 Odds Pending |
Northwestern & USC Team Pages
Review each team's futures odds, betting bonuses, current standings and other valuable information on our exclusive team betting odds pages. Team betting odds and stats update throughout the season:
How to Bet on the Game
Time needed: 4 minutes.
How to Bet on the Northwestern vs USC College Basketball Game
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Open a new sports betting account before game time.
Review our list of sports betting sites. Open a new account before the game starts on Wednesday, January 21st, 2026 at 11:00 pm EST, making sure to enter all your personal details correctly. Don't forget to add your bonus code.
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Visit the sportsbook’s cashier, banking, or deposit page.
Navigate to the sportsbook's deposit page. Use your Visa card or MasterCard, or deposit with a bank transfer, or other methods like Paypal.
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Tap to the sportsbook's College Basketball page, look for the Northwestern vs USC Game.
Navigate to the sportsbook's College Basketball page. Next, look for live or upcoming matchups. Select the Northwestern vs USC Game.
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Choose your bet and place a wager.
Choose your bet and then use the funds you deposited to place a wager. The sportsbook will pay your winnings or deduct a losing wager from your account balance after the game.
Other January 21, 2026 NCAABB Games
- Samford vs Wofford - 1/21/26 6:00pm EST
- UNC Asheville vs USC Upstate - 1/21/26 6:00pm EST
- UNC Greensboro vs VMI - 1/21/26 6:00pm EST
- Lafayette vs Boston University - 1/21/26 6:00pm EST
- Dayton vs La Salle - 1/21/26 6:30pm EST
- Radford vs Winthrop - 1/21/26 6:30pm EST
- Rhode Island vs Richmond - 1/21/26 7:00pm EST
- Troy vs Old Dominion - 1/21/26 7:00pm EST
- Furman vs The Citadel - 1/21/26 7:00pm EST
- Georgetown vs Villanova - 1/21/26 7:00pm EST
- Cleveland State vs Wright State - 1/21/26 7:00pm EST
- Western Carolina vs Mercer - 1/21/26 7:00pm EST
- North Alabama vs Queens Charlotte - 1/21/26 7:00pm EST
- Indiana vs Oakland - 1/21/26 7:00pm EST
- Holy Cross vs Navy - 1/21/26 7:00pm EST
- Colgate vs American - 1/21/26 7:00pm EST
- Charleston Southern vs Presbyterian - 1/21/26 7:00pm EST
- Gardner-Webb vs Longwood - 1/21/26 7:00pm EST
- Texas vs Kentucky - 1/21/26 7:00pm EST
- Maryland vs Illinois - 1/21/26 7:00pm EST
- Notre Dame vs North Carolina - 1/21/26 7:00pm EST
- Pittsburgh vs Boston College - 1/21/26 7:00pm EST
- Indiana State vs Bradley - 1/21/26 7:00pm EST
- Army vs Bucknell - 1/21/26 7:00pm EST
- East Tennessee State vs Chattanooga - 1/21/26 7:00pm EST
- IUPUI vs Oakland - 1/21/26 7:00pm EST
- Tulane vs Florida Atlantic - 1/21/26 7:00pm EST
- Murray State vs Drake - 1/21/26 7:00pm EST
- Purdue Fort Wayne vs Detroit Mercy - 1/21/26 7:00pm EST
- Fordham vs Davidson - 1/21/26 7:00pm EST
- Xavier vs Creighton - 1/21/26 7:00pm EST
- East Carolina vs Wichita State - 1/21/26 7:30pm EST
- Kennesaw State vs Sam Houston State - 1/21/26 7:30pm EST
- Liberty vs Western Kentucky - 1/21/26 7:30pm EST
- Memphis vs Tulsa - 1/21/26 8:00pm EST
- South Dakota vs Omaha - 1/21/26 8:00pm EST
- Tarleton vs UT Arlington - 1/21/26 8:00pm EST
- UTSA vs North Texas - 1/21/26 8:00pm EST
- Temple vs Rice - 1/21/26 8:00pm EST
- Southern Illinois vs Valparaiso - 1/21/26 8:00pm EST
- Utah Valley vs Southern Utah - 1/21/26 8:30pm EST
- West Virginia vs Arizona State - 1/21/26 9:00pm EST
- Cincinnati vs Arizona - 1/21/26 9:00pm EST
- Northern Iowa vs Illinois State - 1/21/26 9:00pm EST
- Virginia Tech vs Syracuse - 1/21/26 9:00pm EST
- Mississippi State vs Texas A&M - 1/21/26 9:00pm EST
- Fresno State vs New Mexico - 1/21/26 9:00pm EST
- Pepperdine vs Gonzaga - 1/21/26 9:00pm EST
- Washington vs Nebraska - 1/21/26 9:00pm EST
- Washington State vs San Diego - 1/21/26 9:30pm EST
- Utah Tech vs California Baptist - 1/21/26 10:00pm EST
- Loyola Marymount vs Seattle - 1/21/26 10:00pm EST
- San Diego State vs Grand Canyon - 1/21/26 11:00pm EST
- Oregon State vs Saint Mary's (CA) - 1/21/26 11:00pm EST