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 | 18-14 | 0.563 | 9-7 | 5-6 | 7-13 | +12 | 0.350 | L8 |
| Northwestern | 15-19 | 0.441 | 9-8 | 3-8 | 5-15 | +14 | 0.250 | 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 OddsNo NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament TM Northwestern YR: futures available
USC Championship OddsNo NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament TM USC YR: futures available
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
- UNC Asheville vs USC Upstate
- UNC Greensboro vs VMI
- Lafayette vs Boston University
- Dayton vs La Salle
- Radford vs Winthrop
- Rhode Island vs Richmond
- Troy vs Old Dominion
- Furman vs The Citadel
- Georgetown vs Villanova
- Cleveland State vs Wright State
- Western Carolina vs Mercer
- North Alabama vs Queens Charlotte
- Indiana vs Oakland
- Holy Cross vs Navy
- Colgate vs American
- Charleston Southern vs Presbyterian
- Gardner-Webb vs Longwood
- Texas vs Kentucky
- Maryland vs Illinois
- Notre Dame vs North Carolina
- Pittsburgh vs Boston College
- Indiana State vs Bradley
- Army vs Bucknell
- East Tennessee State vs Chattanooga
- IUPUI vs Oakland
- Tulane vs Florida Atlantic
- Murray State vs Drake
- Purdue Fort Wayne vs Detroit Mercy
- Fordham vs Davidson
- Xavier vs Creighton
- East Carolina vs Wichita State
- Kennesaw State vs Sam Houston State
- Liberty vs Western Kentucky
- Memphis vs Tulsa
- South Dakota vs Omaha
- Tarleton vs UT Arlington
- UTSA vs North Texas
- Temple vs Rice
- Southern Illinois vs Valparaiso
- Utah Valley vs Southern Utah
- West Virginia vs Arizona State
- Cincinnati vs Arizona
- Northern Iowa vs Illinois State
- Virginia Tech vs Syracuse
- Mississippi State vs Texas A&M
- Fresno State vs New Mexico
- Pepperdine vs Gonzaga
- Washington vs Nebraska
- Washington State vs San Diego
- Utah Tech vs California Baptist
- Loyola Marymount vs Seattle
- San Diego State vs Grand Canyon
- Oregon State vs Saint Mary's (CA)