How to Watch USC Trojans vs. Wisconsin Women's Basketball: Preview, Prediction, Betting Odds

The No. 7 USC Trojans women’s basketball team is 19-2, 9-1 in Big Ten conference play. The Trojans are coming off their first in-conference loss against the Iowa Hawkeyes, looking to return to their winning formula. The Women of Troy will face the 11-11 Wisconsin Badgers on Wednesday.

How to Watch:

The USC Trojans women’s basketball team will face the Wisconsin Badgers at 4:30 p.m. PT on Wednesday at Kohl Center in Madison, Wisconsin. The game broadcast will be on Peacock.

USC Trojans Kennedy Smith — Jan 12, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; USC Trojans guard Kennedy Smith (11) drives the ball toward the basket as Penn State Nittany Lions forward Tamera Johnson (5) and Penn State Nittany Lions forward Ariana Williams (11) trail during the fourth quarter at Galen Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images | Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images

Betting Odds:

The USC Trojans are 25.5-point favorites at FanDuel Sportsbook against the Wisconsin Badgers. The total points is 137.5.

USC vs. Wisconsin preview:

The USC Trojans are coming off an upset loss against the Iowa Hawkeyes 76-86. The Trojans had a poor start to the game, only scoring four points in the first quarter. Despite a strong second quarter scoring 25 points, USC could not get past Iowa.

The last time USC lost was on Nov. 23 against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. USC went on to win 15 straight games. After the game, USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb discussed the loss.

“We’re disappointed obviously. It’s been a long time since we’ve lost. I think we handled the last loss well and it made us better that’s what we’ll do this time,” Gottlieb said. “Iowa played really well, all credit to them. I’m proud of the fact that we had a disastrous, you know, first quarter and battled back to take a lead.”

USC Trojans Lindsay Gottlieb — Jan 12, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; USC Trojans head coach Lindsay Gottlieb during the first quarter against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Galen Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images | Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images

After the game, the Iowa Hawkeyes held a ceremony to retire former Iowa star guard Caitlin Clark’s jersey. The energy in the stadium was electric, a major help for the Hawkeyes.

“I was really impressed by the atmosphere. I think all of these situations this is what we want,” Gottlieb said. “When we get to March and April, I think we’ll have done this a number of times and our goal is to make our team better throughout these experiences and you know, there’s no doubt the atmosphere was a factor today and that’s something we welcome here.”

The slow start of the first quarter, the missed field goals, and the lack of three-point shots led to the Trojans' loss. The team as a whole made just 35.4 percent of their field goal attempts.

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USC guard JuJu Watkins finished the game with 27 points, going 8-22 on field goals and 1-7 on three-point shots. Forward Kiki Iriafen scored 13 points but went 4-11 on field goals. Guard Kennedy Smith scored 11 points, also going 4-11 on field goals and 2-6 on three-point shots.

This was not the USC Trojans that had been seen the majority of the season, and now they will look to turn things around and finish the regular season strong. USC is averaging 83.0 points per game, with a 6-1 away record.

The Trojans will now head to Kohl Center to face the 11-11 Wisconsin Badgers. The Badgers are just 2-9 in Big Ten conference play, but 8-3 at home. Wisconsin is coming off an 84-71 loss against the Purdue Boilermakers, looking to go back to a winning record.

USC Trojans JuJu Watkins — Feb 2, 2025; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; USC Trojans guard JuJu Watkins (12) drives with the ball as Iowa Hawkeyes guard Kylie Feuerbach (4) defends and center Rayah Marshall (13) looks on during the first quarter at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images | Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

The Badgers are led by forward Serah Williams and guard Ronnie Porter, who will make the matchup tough on USC. Williams leads the team averaging 19.1 points, 10.7 rebounds, and 2.4 blocks. Despite the loss against Purdue, Williams put up 28 points. Porter leads with 5.0 assists and 1.8 steals. Wisconsin averages just 65.9 points, but with strong players and home-court advantage, they could make this a tough matchup.

This is not only USC’s first time playing in Madison, Wisconsin, it will be the first time the two teams faced off.

USC vs. Wisconsin prediction:

The USC Trojans will bounce back and defeat the Wisconsin Badgers, 78-64.

After USC’s game against the Badgers, the Trojans will face the No. 8 Ohio State Buckeyes on Feb. 8 at 6 p.m. PT at Galen Center.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
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