The UCLA Bruins (8-10) travel to face off against the Arizona Wildcats (13-4) on Saturday, January 20th. This game will be played at McKale Center in Tucson and televised on ESPN2. Both team’s come into this one having won their previous games. Tip-off is set for 4:00 ET.
UCLA Bruins vs Arizona Wildcats
The UCLA Bruins Are Coming Off A Win
UCLA heads into tonight’s game against Arizona as a 16.5-point underdog. So far this season, the Bruins have gone 1-6 when listed as the underdog.
UCLA comes into tonight’s game with an overall record of 8-10. Over their last 10 road games, the Bruins have gone 6-4.
Against the spread, UCLA has gone 7-10-1 this season. They have a record of 4-2-1 vs. the spread on the road and are 4-3 as the underdog. Over their last 10 games as the underdog, the Bruins are 5-4-1 vs. the spread.
This season, the over/under record for UCLA sits at 4-14, and today’s over/under line of 140.5 is higher than the average over/under line in their games (134.7). So far, 17 of their games have finished with fewer points than today’s line. Over their last three games, the average scoring total is 133 points, and their over/under record during this stretch is 1-2.
The Arizona Wildcats Are Coming Off A Win
Arizona has been dominant at home this season, going a perfect 10-0 with an average scoring margin of +32.4 points per game. They will look to extend their home winning streak to 11 games when they take on UCLA today.
So far this season, the Wildcats have been favored in 16 of their 17 games, going 12-4 in those contests. They are coming off an 82-67 win over USC and have gone 10-0 in their last 10 games at home.
Arizona’s ATS record this season is 12-5, including a mark of 9-1 at home. Over their last 10 games as the favorite, the Wildcats are 5-5 vs. the spread.
Arizona’s over/under record for the season sits at 7-9-1. So far, the average over/under line in their games is 159.2 and their matchups have finished with an average of 162.2 points. This year, 16 of their games have finished with more points than today’s over/under line of 140.5. Over their last three games, the average scoring total is 152 points and their over/under record during this stretch is 0-2-1.
UCLA Offense Breakdown
Coming off their recent game, the UCLA offense tallied 68 points in a matchup against Arizona State. Their field goal percentage for the game was 47.8%, and they made 7 threes. Leading UCLA in scoring vs. Arizona State was Lazar Stefanovic with his 18 points. Brandon Williams also added 13 points for the Bruins.
| Name | PPG | REB | AST |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sebastian Mack (G) | 13.5 | 4.2 | 1.7 |
| Adem Bona (F) | 12.3 | 6.2 | 1.1 |
| Lazar Stefanovic (G) | 9.9 | 5.6 | 1.7 |
Arizona Offense Breakdown
The Arizona offense is coming off a game in which they scored 82 points vs. USC. Overall their field goal percentage was 40% while connecting on 10 threes. Leading Arizona in scoring vs. USC was Caleb Love with his 20 points. Pelle Larsson also added 13 points for the Wildcats.
| Name | PPG | REB | AST |
|---|---|---|---|
| Caleb Love (G) | 18.4 | 4.9 | 3.2 |
| Oumar Ballo (C) | 12.4 | 8.9 | 1.1 |
| Pelle Larsson (G) | 12.4 | 4.1 | 3.4 |
UCLA Team Defense
At this time, the Bruins’ defense is positioned 25th in the country, permitting 63.9 points per game. So far, the UCLA defense is giving up an average of 7.4 offensive rebounds per game and are turning teams over 11.9 times per game (570th).
Arizona Team Defense
In terms of defense, Arizona is currently on par with the NCAA average for points allowed, giving up an average of 71.6 points per game. Arizona will look once again to perform well on defense, holding USC to just 40% shooting in their most recent game.
Bruins vs Wildcats Trends
- UCLA has a 2-3 record in their last five road games. In this stretch, they averaged 59 points per game while allowing 69. The team also performed well vs the spread at 3-2.
- Across their five previous home games, Arizona has an ATS mark of 1-4. Their straight up record in these matchups was 1-4 while averaging 86 points per game.
- Spanning across their last five games as the betting underdog, the Bruins have gone 2-3 vs the spread. Their overall record in these games was 1-4.
- Although the Wildcats have a strong straight up record in their last three games as the betting favorite, they have not done as well vs the spread going 1-2.
Bruins vs Wildcats Prediction
For a pick on the point-spread in this Wildcats vs. Bruins matchup, our bet is to grab the Bruins at +16.5. Even though our projections have the Wildcats winning 75-70, we see the Bruins as the play on the point-spread.
As for the over/under, the the line is currently at 140.5, and our model projects the Bruins and Wildcats to reach a combined total of 145 points. Our bet is on taking the over.
All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!
* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.
Last updated:January 20, 2024 Arizona Wildcats, UCLA Bruins, Uncategorized