The UCLA Bruins (14-14) travel to face off against the Washington State Cougars (22-7) on Saturday, March 2nd. This game will be played at Friel Court in Pullman and televised on PACN. Washington State is coming off a win in their previous game, while UCLA is looking to get back on track from a loss to the Washington. Tip-off is set for 7:00 ET.
UCLA Bruins vs Washington State Cougars
The UCLA Bruins Look To Bounce Back From A Loss
UCLA enters this game with a record of 14-14 and they have lost three games in a row. Their record in Pac-12 play is 9-8, compared to 5-6 in non-conference games. On the road, the Bruins are 6-6, and they are coming off a 94-77 loss to Washington.
So far this season, UCLA has been the underdog in 13 of their 28 games, and their record in those games is 5-8. For the year, they have been the underdog in 15 games, going 9-6.
As the underdog, UCLA has been a solid bet this season, going 9-4 vs. the spread. Their overall ATS record is just 12-14-2, but they have been better on the road, posting a mark of 7-3-2. Over their last 10 games as the underdog, the Bruins have gone 7-3 vs. the spread.
So far this season, the over/under record for UCLA games is 10-18, and today’s line of 126 is lower than the average over/under line in their games (134.8). Overall, 17 of their games have finished with more points than today’s line. In their last three games, the over/under record is 2-1 with an average of 142 points scored compared to their season average of 131.4 points per game.
The Washington State Cougars Are Coming Off A Win
Washington State has been excellent at home this season, going 15-3 with an average scoring margin of +12.3 points per game. The Cougars have won five straight games at home and are 16-4 when favored this season.
Overall, Washington State is 22-7 and has gone 13-5 in Pac-12 play. In their last game, the Cougars defeated USC, 75-72. Over their last 10 games at home, Washington State has gone 8-2.
Washington State has an ATS record of 15-13-1 this season, including a mark of 9-9 at home. Over their last 10 games as the favorite, the Cougars are 4-6 vs. the spread. At home this year, their ATS record is 5-5.
This season, the over/under record for Washington State games is 13-16 and today’s line of 126 is lower than the average over/under line in their games (141.7). Over their last three games, the average scoring total is 144 points and their OU record during this stretch is 1-2.
UCLA Offense Breakdown
The UCLA offense is coming off a game in which they scored 77 points vs. Washington. Overall their field goal percentage was 44.6% while connecting on 7 threes. The team’s top scorer is Sebastian Mack, who enters today’s matchup with an average of 12.8, while Adem Bona also carries a PPG average of 12.3 into the game.
| Name | PPG | REB | AST |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sebastian Mack (G) | 12.8 | 3.5 | 1.6 |
| Adem Bona (F) | 12.3 | 6.0 | 1.2 |
| Lazar Stefanovic (G) | 11.5 | 6.1 | 1.6 |
Washington State Offense Breakdown
In their recent matchup, the Washington State offense ended with 75 points against USC. They finished with an overall field goal percentage of 50% and made 10 threes. Andrej Jakimovski was the leading scorer for the Cougars, putting up 18 points. In addition, Isaiah Watts contributed 18 points.
| Name | PPG | REB | AST |
|---|---|---|---|
| Isaac Jones (F) | 15.5 | 7.6 | 1.5 |
| Myles Rice (G) | 15.4 | 3.1 | 3.8 |
| Jaylen Wells (F) | 11.7 | 4.4 | 1.0 |
UCLA Team Defense
At this time, the Bruins’ defense is positioned 23rd in the country, permitting 65.1 points per game. Against Washington in their most recent game, the UCLA defense gave up a total of 94 points while allowing Washington to hit 55% of their shots.
Washington State Team Defense
So far this season, the Washington State defense has been performing well, ranking 52nd in the country at 67.2 points allowed per contest. Washington State’s three-point defense is currently 40th in the country at 5.8 made threes per game. In terms of overall field goal percentage, opponets have hit 42.0% of their shots vs. Washington State.
Bruins vs Cougars Trends
- The Bruins are 3-1-1 ATS in their last road games and 3-2 straight-up.
- When looking at their past ten home matchups, Washington State has an ATS record of 6-3-1 while averaging 72 per game. The team went 7-3 overall in these games.
- The last ten games that UCLA was the underdog, they have an ATS mark of 7-3 while going 5-5 straight up.
- Against the spread, the Cougars have put together of 2-3 in their last five games as the betting favorite. In these same games, they went 4-1 straight up.
Bruins vs Cougars Prediction
For a point-spread wager in this Cougars vs. Cougars game, we suggest taking the Cougars at -6.5. Even though our predictions have the Cougars winning 75-70, we see the Bruins as the better choice on the point-spread.
As for the total, the line is currently sitting at 126 and our model has the Bruins and Cougars finishing with a combined 145 points. Our pick is to take 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:March 2, 2024 UCLA Bruins, Washington State Cougars