UCLA (10-3) vs. Iowa (11-2)
January 3, 2026 6:00 pm EDT
The Line: Iowa -4.5; Over/Under: 138.5
(Get latest betting odds)
The UCLA Bruins and the Iowa Hawkeyes meet Saturday in college basketball action from Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City. Here’s an Iowa vs UCLA prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Iowa vs UCLA pick.
UCLA Bruins Betting Preview
UCLA went 7-2 over their first nine games this year, beating Eastern Washington, Pepperdine, West Georgia, Sac State, Presbyterian, Washington and Oregon in that time. After a loss to Gonzaga on December 13, the Bruins have since won three straight over Arizona State, Cal Poly and UC Riverside. That gives the team a 10-3 overall record in 13 games this year.
In the UC Riverside game back on December 23, the Bruins held a 45-34 lead by the break. UCLA charged on a 52-31 run the rest of the way and took a blowout victory 97-65 in the end. Tops in scoring was Tyler Bilodeau with 34 points and six boards. Skyy Clark had 14 points with two assists and two rebounds while Trent Perry had 14 points and seven assists.
Iowa Hawkeyes Betting Preview
Over on the Iowa side, they worked their way through Robert Morris, Western Illinois, Xavier, Southeast Missouri State, Chicago State, Oel Miss and Grand Canyon before falling to Michigan State and Iowa State over the next three games. Since then it’s been wins over Western Michigan, Bucknell and UMass Lowell though, giving the Hawkeyes an 11-2 overall record this year.
On Monday in the UMass Lowell game, the Hawkeyes were up by 17 points at halftime. Iowa closed on a 43-32 run and took the win in the end 90-62. Bennett Stirtz led the team on 22 points with eight assists while both Cam Manyawu (nine rebounds) and Alvaro Folgueiras (two rebounds; two assists) contributed 14 points apiece during the winning effort for the Hawkeyes.
Why the Iowa Hawkeyes will win
- Iowa has won each of its last 13 games against non-AP-ranked opponents.
- UCLA has lost each of its last five games against AP-ranked opponents.
- Iowa has won the first half in each of its last nine games at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
Why the UCLA Bruins will win
- UCLA has won five of its last six games.
- UCLA has won the first half in five of its last six day games.
Iowa vs UCLA Prediction
I’ll lean toward Iowa. This one seems like another coin flip in a Saturday slate filled with them, though. The Hawkeyes made short work of UMass Lowell in their last game, hitting 58.2 percent form the field with a 54-36 advantage in the paint, 22-of-24 (91.7 percent) from the line and just seven turnovers. The 3-point shooting (4-of-14 for 28.6 percent) wasn’t very sharp, though. Still, Iowa has won three straight now with 90 or more points scored in each. Their only two losses this year have both come to ranked teams in Michigan State and Iowa State.
As for UCLA, they shot an even 50 percent from the field and 22-of-26 from the line (84.6 percent) in their latest win over UC Riverside. The Bruins added 33 rebounds and 42 points in the paint alongside just 10 turnovers as well. That makes 90 or more points in each of the last three games (all wins) for UCLA. We’re looking at a nice-sized total here if both teams can keep it rolling.
