Arizona Wildcats (25-5) vs. UCLA Bruins (26-4)
March 4, 2023 10:00 pm EDT
The Line: UCLA Bruins -5.5 / Arizona Wildcats +5.5 ; Over/Under: 149.5
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The Arizona Wildcats and the UCLA Bruins meet Saturday in college basketball action from Pauley Pavilion. Arizona played USC in their last game Thursday. In that matchup, the Wildcats bagged a six-point victory. As for UCLA, they’re fresh off a Thursday game against Arizona State. The Bruins ended up taking a victory by 18 points there. Check back all season long for free college basketball picks at Sports Chat Place.
Arizona Wildcats
Arizona held a 19-3 record over their first 22 outings of the year. The Wildcats then beat Oregon, Oregon State, California Utah and Colorado with losses otherwise to Stanford and Arizona state over the next seven outings.
On Thursday versus USC, Arizona went into the second half leading 43-31. The Wildcats were outscored 50-44 from there but held on for the win 87-81. Azuolas Tubelis was the leading team scorer, doubling up on 25 points and 10 rebounds.
UCLA Bruins
Over on the UCLA side, they were 18-4 in their first 22 games this season. The Bruins then took out Washington State, Oregon State, Oregon, Stanford, California, Utah and Colorado in succession over the next seven appearances.
Matched up against Arizona State in the Thursday game, UCLA held a 36-32 edge in the locker room. The Bruins kicked into high gear with 43 second-half points and took the win 79-61. Jaime Jaquez led the way on 26 points and Jaylen Clark doubled with 15 points and 11 boards.
ANDREW’S FREE PICK
I’m going to take a stab on Arizona. You could make a great case either way, however; this matchup should be highly competitive and one of the highlights of the Saturday college basketball slate. In any case, these teams last met up back on January 21 at McKale Center. Arizona posted a tense 58-52 win in that one despite 17 turnovers and a 44-37 rebounding deficit (18-8 offensive). The Wildcats are on a 3-1 run since the Stanford loss, with the one-point loss to Arizona State as the lone blemish. They’re taking on a Bruins team that’s won nine straight, scoring 70 or more points in five of their last six. Should be a great matchup regardless of how it turns out.
