Villanova Wildcats vs. UCLA Bruins Picks, Predictions, Odds

VegasInsider Staff Sports Betting Expert

2 minute read

Nov. 12, 2021

David Schwab
VI Betting Expert
VegasInsider.com

Friday night’s college basketball betting action closes things with a bang as the Big East’s No. 4 Villanova Wildcats head to the West Coast in an early season showdown against the Pac-12’s No. 2 UCLA Bruins. Tip on ESPN2 is set for 11:30 p.m. (ET) from Pauley Pavilion.

Score Prediction

Villanova 72, UCLA 69

Best Bets

Villanova +4.5

Villanova Wildcats vs. UCLA Bruins Predictions

Heavyweight matchups this early in the season are fun to watch. Each team’s expectation level is based heavily on past performances. Sometimes they are on point and sometimes they are not even close to a team’s actual results.

With Villanova, led by head coach Jay Wright, you know you are going to get a quality effort game after game. The Wildcats’ recent resume backs that up as two-time national champions over the past six seasons.

The bar for the UCLA Bruins is set about as high as it gets as the No. 2 team in the nation. This is based more on potential given the depth of talent on a team that went all the way to the Final Four last season

UCLA will have to face the Wildcats without Cody Riley, who is out of the lineup with a knee sprain. This will put some added pressure on the rest of the starters this Friday night. This also opens the door for a straight-up Villanova upset.

Villanova Wildcats vs. UCLA Bruins Betting Odds

More Odds | Futures Odds

Odds Provided by DraftKings - Odds Subject to Change

• Villanova +155
• UCLA -180
• Villanova +4.5 (-115)
• UCLA -4.5 (-105)

Villanova Wildcats vs. UCLA Bruins Betting Resources

• Matchup: Big East vs. Pac-12
• Date: Friday, November 12, 2021
• Venue: Pauley Pavilion
• Location: Los Angeles, California
• TV-Time: ESPN2 - 11:30 p.m. ET

• Injury Report
• Wooden Award Odds
• Conference Futures Market
• Power Rankings

Villanova Wildcats Betting Analysis

Straight Up - SU, Against the Spread - ATS, Over-Under (O/U)

• SU: 1-0
• ATS: 1-0
• O/U: 1-0

The Wildcats made short work of Mount St. Mary’s on Tuesday night in what amounted to nothing more than a brisk workout. The 40-point win (91-51) more than covered the closing 26- point spread. Villanova drove the total way OVER the closing 129.5-point line.

It is hard to gauge Villanova’s current playing form from Tuesday night’s romp. However, there were a few key takeaways. The Wildcats shot 55.4% from the field and 53.3% from three-point range. Even in the absence of facing a tough defensive effort, those stats are rather impressive. Junior guard Justin Moore led all scorers in that game with 27 points while going 9-for-15 from the field. He connected on six of his eight shots from three-point range. Forwards’ Brandon Slater and Jermaine Samuels each scored another 17 points.

Four of Villanova’s five starters ended the game in double figures. The only concern would be the lack of scoring production from the bench with just 10 additional points. It is going to take a total team effort to walk away with a win against one of the best teams on the West Coast.

UCLA Bruins Betting Analysis

Straight Up - SU, Against the Spread - ATS, Over-Under (O/U)

• SU: 1-0
• ATS: 1-0
• O/U: 1-0

UCLA returned all five starters from last year’s team that came close to winning a national title. They picked up where they left off with a 95-58 victory against Cal State-Bakersfield in Tuesday’s season opener. The Bruins easily covered the 23-point spread and the total went OVER 134.5 point.

Much like Villanova’s first win, it is hard to draw too much from this game. Opening up a 28- point lead at the half while scoring 47 points, this was not much of a test. However, also like the Wildcats, UCLA shot lights out by going 50% from the field and 48.1% from three-point range. With the exception of Riley, who left the game early in the first half, the other four starters each scored 10 or more points. The Bruins’ bench was far more productive with 33 added points. Overall, UCLA pulled down 44 rebounds with guard Jalen Clark leading the way with seven off the bench.

Even with one of their starters out of the lineup, the Bruins’ team depth is rather impressive. By all accounts, they should win on Friday night, but that is on paper. The loss of Riley could have a bigger impact than anticipated given the current betting spread.

UCLA has won 10 straight games home games after winning at home the game prior. (AP)

Inside the Stats - Villanova Wildcats

• Record: 1-0
• VI Ranking: 3
• PS/G: 91 (62nd)
• PA/G: 51 (34th)
• ORtg: 146.8 (6th)
• DRtg: 82.3 (98th)

Inside the Stats - UCLA Bruins

• Record: 1-0
• VI Ranking: 5
• PS/G: 95 (49th)
• PA/G: 58 (83rd)
• Offensive Rating: 123.4 (58th)
• Defensive Rating: 75.3 (55th)

Key Players to Watch

• NOVA: Justin Moore - G (27 ppg, 7 apg)
• NOVA: Brandon Slate - F (17 ppg, 4 rpg, 5 apg)
• UCLA: Jules Bernard - G (19 ppg)
• UCLA: Johnny Juzang - G (19 ppg, 4 rpg)

Villanova Wildcats vs. UCLA Bruins Betting Conclusion

As mentioned, early season matchups between two of the best teams in the nation are big fun. The winner is elevated to an even higher status while the losing gets immediately tagged as overrated.

Each of these teams will play a prominent role in this year’s chase to a national title to the point where they could easily meet again deep in the 2022 NCAA Tournament.

This is the type of game where you could flip a coin to predict the SU winner, so I will take Wildcats and the three points as the value bet.

Villanova Wildcats vs. UCLA Bruins Betting Trends

• UCLA has won 10 straight games home games after winning at home the game prior.
• Villanova has won the first half in six straight games when playing at night.

VegasInsider Staff

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