Northwestern vs UCLA Prediction 3/3/25 College Basketball Picks Today

The UCLA Bruins and the Northwestern Wildcats meet Monday in college basketball action from Welsh-Ryan Arena. Here’s a Northwestern vs UCLA prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Northwestern vs UCLA pick.

UCLA Bruins Betting Preview

The Bruins posted a pretty rough stretch of games back in December and January, but outside of that they’ve been doing well amid a tough schedule. UCLA went a nice 10-1 over their first 11 appearances this season, recording a lone loss to New Mexico in their second outing on November 8. A 1-5 run came next with a win over Gonzaga among losses to North Carolina, Nebraska, Michigan, Maryland and Rutgers. After a win streak over Iowa, Wisconsin, Washington, USC, Oregon, Michigan State and Penn State, the Bruins hit a spotty 2-3 run in the next five games. Those two wins came over Indiana and Ohio State. Otherwise it was losses to Illinois, Minnesota and Purdue during that time, giving the Bruins a 20-9 overall record across the first 29 games of their 2024-25 campaign.

In the Purdue matchup on Friday, the Bruins were within two points 37-35 at the break. UCLA lost steam in the second half though, getting outscored 39-31 the rest of the way in a 76-66 loss on the road. The only starter to finish in double-figures was Tyler Bilodeau with 15 points, seven rebounds, two assists and one steal in 30 minutes of work during the defeat. Sebastian Mack led the team off the bench with his 10 points, four rebounds and two assists in 24 minutes, while Eric Dailey chipped in nine points, three rebounds and three assists in 25 minutes during a starting role.

Northwestern Wildcats Betting Preview

Over on the Wildcats’ side, they kicked off their season on a pretty nice run but they’ve had some issues in the win column since the calendar flipped over to 2025. Northwestern opened up on a 10-3 run across their first 13 games though, falling to only Dayton, Butler and Iowa in that time. The Wildcats would win just three of their next 13 games (over Maryland, Indiana and USC), falling versus Penn State, Purdue, Michigan State, Michigan, Illinois, Rutgers, Wisconsin, Washington, Oregon and Nebraska otherwise during that time. Since then the Wildcats have hit three straight wins though, taking out Ohio State, Minnesota and Iowa in succession. That gives Northwestern a 16-13 record across their first 29 outings this year so far.

Matched up against Iowa on Friday, the Wildcats were up 30-26 going into the second half. Northwestern kept it up from there on a 38-31 run and took the victory in the end 68-57 at home. KJ Windham led the team with 20 points, five rebounds and two assists in 27 minutes of work off the bench. Nick Martinelli was the top starter with 16 points, nine rebounds and three assists, while Justin Mullins added 10 points, three rebounds and three assists in 31 minutes.

Why the Northwestern Wildcats will win

• Northwestern has won 18 of its last 19 night games at Welsh-Ryan Arena.
• UCLA has lost three of its last four night games.
• Northwestern has won the first half in 21 of its last 24 games at Welsh-Ryan Arena against non-AP-ranked opponents.

Why the UCLA Bruins will win

• Northwestern has lost each of its last four games following a home win.
• UCLA has won nine of its last 12 games.
• UCLA has won the first half in eight of its last nine games against non-AP-ranked opponents.

Northwestern vs UCLA Prediction

I’ll stay with UCLA. The Bruins need a good showing here after a tough loss to a good Purdue team on the road. UCLA shot well from the field in that one (48 percent) and hit 13-of-16 (81.3 percent) from the line alongside a 31-23 rebounding advantage. The Bruins also coughed up 14 turnovers for 15 Boilermakers points though, and surrendered 51.9 percent shooting (and 11-of-22 from 3-point range) on the other side. It’s been a spotty 2-3 run for the Bruins over their last five games. They’ve been below 67 points in both of their most recent two losses as well, so it’d be nice to see them eclipse the 70-point mark on Monday.

As for the Wildcats, they’re on a nice three-game win streak with 68 or more points scored in each. I like Northwestern to put up a good fight here, with UCLA powering it out in the end. Should be a fun one to watch.