This is the time of year when certain off-the-court stories will develop and impact a team’s performance.
USC’s Chad Baker-Mazara is no longer with the program after leaving the last game following a hard foul.
It is unclear whether he was dismissed based on certain behavior.
The 26-year-old was the team’s leading scorer after transferring from Auburn.
The Trojans have been a mess lately, losing five straight games.
They are also 1-5 against the spread (ATS) over their past six games with the lone cover by a half-point.
USC visits Washington as 6.5-point underdogs Wednesday with a total of 150.5 points at DraftKings.
The Huskies have been playing relatively well lately, winning and covering the spread in about half their games over the past two months.
Plus, in early December, they won outright at USC as a 4.5-point underdog.
The Trojans are a sloppy team that ranks dead last in the Big Ten in turnovers per game and among the worst in field goal and 3-point shooting percentage.
Betting on College Basketball?
They resemble a poorly coached team and freshman Alijah Arenas seems much more focused on the NBA draft.
I have a 103-83-2 ATS record in The Post’s sports section.
My next pick is Washington -5.5 (-126, DraftKings)
Why Trust New York Post Betting
Doug Kezirian is a New York Post contributor who has over two decades of experience in the betting space, including spending 11 years at ESPN as a host, columnist and betting analyst. He’s also the rare personality who has documented success – 14th place in 2023 Circa Million and Las Vegas SuperContest ($37K), two top-10 finishes in 2022 William Hill College Football Challenge ($58K) and also grabbed headlines with a $297K win on the 2021 NFL Draft.