UCLA vs Long Beach State 1/6/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

The Long Beach State 49ers and UCLA Bruins meet Thursday in college basketball action at the Pauley Pavilion. The Long Beach State 49ers look for a win after splitting their last six games. The UCLA Bruins look to build on their 8-1 record.

The Long Beach State 49ers are averaging 74.6 points on 45 percent shooting and allowing 79.6 points on 45 percent shooting. Joel Murray is averaging 16.1 points and 2.4 rebounds, while Colin Slater is averaging 12.5 points and 2.1 rebounds. Joe Hampton is the third double-digit scorer and Jordan Roberts is grabbing 5.3 rebounds. The Long Beach State 49ers are shooting 32.5 percent from beyond the arc and 65.2 percent from the free throw line. The Long Beach State 49ers are allowing 36.9 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 30.5 rebounds per game.

The UCLA Bruins are averaging 81.1 points on 45.4 percent shooting and allowing 65.6 points on 42 percent shooting. Johnny Juzang is averaging 16.6 points and 4.9 rebounds, while Jaime Jaquez Jr. is averaging 14.8 points and 6.4 rebounds. Jules Bernard is the third double-digit scorer and Tyger Campbell is dishing 4.2 assists. The UCLA Bruins are shooting 39 percent from beyond the arc and 70.5 percent from the free throw line. The UCLA Bruins are allowing 32.5 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 38.1 rebounds per game.

This is a weird matchup, as it was recently scheduled, and there are reasons not to like either side. The Long Beach State 49ers still don’t play a lick of defense, and they’re on the end of a back to back after playing Westcliff last night. The UCLA Bruins haven’t played a game since December 11, giving them one of the longer layoffs in the country. Who knows what UCLA is going to look like here.

With all that said, UCLA is head and shoulders the better team here and should have a field day against this LBSU defense. Assuming the line isn’t too crazy, I’d back the Bruins.