UCLA vs California 1/27/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds
California Golden Bears (9-10) vs. UCLA Bruins (14-2)
January 27, 2022 9:00 pm EDT
The Line: UCLA Bruins -16.5 / California Golden Bears +16.5; Over/Under: -129.5
(Get latest betting odds)
The Cal Golden Bears and the UCLA Bruins meet in college basketball action from Pauley Pavilion on Thursday night.
The Cal Golden Bears will be looking to bounce back from a 3rd straight loss in a 96-71 loss to Arizona last time out. Jordan Shepherd leads the Golden Bears in scoring with 14.7 PPG along with 2.7 APG while Andre Kelly has 13.9 PPG with 8.7 RPG to lead California on the glass. Grant Anticevich has 11.1 PPG with 7.3 RPG to cap off the trio of double-digit scorers for Cal up to this point in the season. Joel Brown also has 5 PPG and a team-high 3.2 APG to lead the Golden Bears in the assist department this year. As a team, Cal is averaging 64.9 PPG on 43.6% shooting from the field, 33.5% from three and 72% from the foul line while allowing 64.5 PPG on 40.9% shooting from the field and 30.1% from three this season.
The UCLA Bruins will be out to add to their 75-59 win over Arizona in their last matchup. Johnny Juzang leads the Bruins in scoring with 18.1 PPG along with 4.9 RPG while Jaime Jaquez Jr. has 12.7 PPG with a team-high 5.6 RPG and Jules Bernard has 13.1 PPG with 4.9 RPG this season. Tyger Campbell also has 11.4 PPG with a team-high 4.2 APG this season. As a team, UCLA is averaging 78.6 PPG on 45.7% shooting from the field, 36.7% from three and 71.5% from the foul line while allowing 65.7 PPG on 41.3% shooting from the field and 32.9% shooting from three this season.
Cal is 6-0 ATS in their last 6 games following a double-digit loss at home and 6-0 ATS in their last 6 games following an ATS loss while the under is 5-1 in their last 6 road games. UCLA is 0-3-1 ATS in their last 4 games against a team with a losing record and 1-5-1 ATS in their last 7 home games against a team with a losing road record while the over is 6-1 in their last 7 home games against a team with a road winning percentage below .400.
I get the case to be made for either side here, as UCLA’s the better team but this feels like a prime letdown spot for the Bruins after the massive win over Arizona last time out. Instead, I’m going to side with the under. Cal’s scoring has been atrocious on the road in conference play and while UCLA did a number on Arizona, the reality is that the Bruins play a slower style that lends itself to a lower-scoring game. Give me the under here.
