UCLA Bruins (17-2) vs. Arizona Wildcats (16-3)
January 21, 2023 2:00 pm EDT
The Line: Arizona Wildcats +1.5 / UCLA Bruins -1.5; Over/Under: +151.5
(Get latest betting odds)
The UCLA Bruins and Arizona Wildcats meet Saturday in college basketball action at the McKale Center. Let’s preview this game and give out a pick and prediction.
The UCLA Bruins Preview
The UCLA Bruins are averaging 76.6 points on 47.6 percent shooting and allowing 59.9 points on 41.1 percent shooting. Jaime Jaquez Jr. is averaging 16.3 points and 7 rebounds, while Jaylen Clark is averaging 14 points and 6.8 rebounds. Tyger Campbell is the third double-digit scorer and David Singleton is dishing 1.3 assists. The UCLA Bruins are shooting 36.4 percent from beyond the arc and 72.3 percent from the free throw line. The UCLA Bruins are allowing 29.7 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 32 rebounds per game.
The Arizona Wildcats Preview
The Arizona Wildcats are averaging 84.6 points on 49.2 percent shooting and allowing 73 points on 40.9 percent shooting. Azuolas Tubelis is averaging 20.2 points and 2.1 assists, while Oumar Ballo is averaging 16.1 points and 9 rebounds. Kerr Kriisa is the third double-digit scorer and Courtney Ramey is grabbing 3.6 rebounds. The Arizona Wildcats are shooting 35.7 percent from beyond the arc and 72.9 percent from the free throw line. The Arizona Wildcats are allowing 32.3 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 37.9 rebounds per game.
Trends
The Bruins are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 road games and 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games overall. The Wildcats are 1-3-1 ATS in their last 5 home games and 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games overall. The under is 7-1 in Bruins last 8 overall. The under is 7-3 in Wildcats last 10 overall. The underdog is 18-6 ATS in the last 24 meetings.
Randy’s Free Pick
The hype surrounding UCLA is real to the point it’s favored on the road against another quality team. The Arizona Wildcats are an offensive powerhouse, and at home they win by an average of 17.5 points while shooting 50 percent from the field. As good as UCLA is and probably an edge defensively, I’m grabbing my free bucket with Arizona. This is going to be a Pac-12 bloodbath.
