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College Basketball

UCLA Bruins vs. Arizona Wildcats Predictions, Picks, Odds

Daniel Dobish
Daniel Dobish Sports Betting Expert
5 minute read

The UCLA Bruins (16-2, 8-1 Pac-12) travel to meet the Arizona Wildcats (17-2, 7-1) in a battle for first place in the Pac-12 conference on Thursday at the McKale Center in Tucson, Ariz. Tip-off is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. ET, and the game can be viewed on ESPN.

SCORE PREDICTION

Arizona 73, UCLA 71

BEST BETS

UCLA +7 (-110) at Circa

Under 147.5 (-110) at DraftKings

UCLA BRUINS VS. ARIZONA WILDCATS PREDICTIONS

The Bruins head to Tucson looking to stay on a roll. UCLA has won six straight games, including a home victory last Tuesday at home at Pauley Pavilion against these Wildcats, 75-59. UCLA entered that one as a three-point underdog as the UNDER cashed.

Jules Bernard and Johnny Juzang led the way with 15 points a piece, and Bernard was able to snag seven rebounds with three assist and two steals while hitting 7-of-11 from the field. Juzang dropped in three triples, too. In all, the Bruins had four players with double-digit point totals, hitting 50% (32-of-64) of its shots in that one, while turning it over jus eight times. That made up for the fact Arizona outrebounded UCLA 45-29.

Arizona shot a dismal 31% (23-of-75) in that blowout loss at Pauley, misfiring on 21-of-28 attempts from behind the arc, a 25% mark. Arizona also turned it over 14 times while also going just 55% (6-of-11) from the free-throw line. Not good.

UCLA BRUINS VS. ARIZONA WILDCATS BETTING ODDS

  • UCLA +200
  • Arizona -250
  • UCLA +7 (-110)
  • Arizona -6.5 (-110)
  • Over 146 (-110)
  • Under 147.5 (-110)

More Odds | Futures Odds

UCLA BRUINS VS. ARIZONA WILDCATS BETTING RESOURCES

  • Matchup: Pac-12
  • Date: Thursday, February 3, 2022
  • Venue: McKale Center
  • Location: Tucson, Arizona
  • TV-Time: ESPN - 8:00 p.m. ET

UCLA BRUINS BETTING ANALYSIS

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

  • SU: 16-2
  • ATS: 9-8-1
  • O/U: 8-10

UCLA waffled Stanford last time out by a 66-43 score to easily cover a 12-point number, hitting the UNDER. The 43 points allowed marked a season best, as the defense was on point. That's three consecutive games allowing under 60 points, and six straight outings yielding 65 or fewer points. The UNDER has cashed in four of the past five outings.

UCLA has covered four straight games after an 0-4-1 ATS skid from Jan. 6-20. The Bruins are 8-3 ATS in the past 11 games on the road, while going 12-5 ATS in the past 17 against teams with a winning overall record. The Bruins are also 8-2 ATS in the past 10 road games against teams with a winning home mark.

For totals, the UNDER has not only cashed in four of the past five, but the UNDER is 6-0 in the past six on the road while going 4-1 in the past five against teams with a winning overall record.

ARIZONA WILDCATS BETTING ANALYSIS

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

  • SU: 17-2
  • ATS: 11-7-1
  • O/U: 10-9

Arizona will have revenge on its mind, and it bodes well that the home team is 5-2 ATS in the past seven meetings in this series. However, the favorite has cashed in just four of the past 22 meetings, too. The Wildcats have a 1-4-1 ATS mark across the past six at home, too.

For the Wildcats, they have cashed the UNDER in five of the past six games overall, while going 4-1 in the past five at home. The UNDER is 4-1 in the past five against winning teams, too. The UNDER is 6-1 in the past seven following a straight-up win, and 5-1 in the past six following a non-cover, too, so confidence is pretty high on another UNDER result in this titanic showdown.


The home team is 5-2 ATS in the past seven meetings. (AP)

INSIDE THE STATS - UCLA BRUINS

  • Record: 16-2
  • VI Ranking: 3
  • PS/G: 78.0 (41st)
  • PA/G: 63.9 (48th)
  • ORtg: 111.8 (28th)
  • DRtg: 91.6 (41st)

INSIDE THE STATS - ARIZONA WILDCATS

  • Record: 17-2
  • VI Ranking: 5
  • PS/G: 86.0 (3rd)
  • PA/G: 64.5 (65th)
  • ORtg: 114.0 (13th)
  • DRtg: 85.5 (4th)

KEY PLAYERS TO WATCH

  • UCLA: Jules Bernard - G (13.2 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 2.1 APG, 42.4 FG%)
  • UCLA: Johnny Juzang - G (18.1 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 1.8 APG, 39.5 3P%)
  • ZONA: Bennedict Mathurin - G (17.2 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 2.2 APG, 45.7 FG%)
  • ZONA: Azuolas Tubelis - F (14.2 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 2.8 APG, 1.0 SPG)

UCLA BRUINS VS. ARIZONA WILDCATS BETTING CONCLUSION

The first battle was a dud, as Arizona had a cold-shooting night when it needed it least, and UCLA ran to a blowout victory. It isn't going to happen again. The Wildcats will be focused, looking to redeem themselves for that ugly showing, and they'll be spurred in on by a raucous home crowd at the McKale Center. Still, I think seven is a little much for UCLA to be receiving in this game, especially given the fact they've been so hot against the number lately, hot straight up, and Arizona has struggled to tick off covers on its home hardwood.

Take the Bruins with the points, especially if you can get a flat seven, and look to the UNDER, which has been the dominant trend for both sides lately.

UCLA BRUINS VS. ARIZONA WILDCATS BETTING TRENDS

  • UCLA is 4-0 ATS in the past four games overall.
  • UCLA is 8-3 ATS in the past 11 road games.
  • UCLA is 12-5 ATS in the past 17 vs. winning teams.
  • Arizona is 1-4-1 ATS in the past six home games.
  • The UNDER is 4-1 in the past five overall for UCLA.
  • The UNDER is 6-0 in the past six road games for UCLA.
  • The UNDER is 4-1 in the past five vs. winning teams for UCLA.
  • The UNDER is 5-1 in the past six overall for Arizona.
  • The UNDER is 4-1 in the past five home games for Arizona.
  • The UNDER is 4-1 in the past five vs. winning teams for Arizona.
  • The underdog is 18-4 ATS in the past 22 meetings.
  • The home team is 5-2 ATS in the past seven meetings.

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Daniel Dobish

Daniel Dobish

Dan is a handicapper and sports betting expert for VegasInsider with years of experience writing for a number of top publications in the industry. More from Daniel Dobish
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