UCLA Bruins (14-14) vs. Washington State Cougars (22-7)
March 2, 2024 7:00 pm EDT
The Line: Washington State Cougars -7; Over/Under: +126.5
(Get latest betting odds)
The UCLA Bruins and the Washington State Cougars meet in college basketball action from Friel Court at Beasley Coliseum on Saturday. Who comes out on top in Saturday’s Pac-12 clash? Let’s dive in and find out with our UCLA vs. Washington State Prediction.
UCLA Team Preview
The UCLA Bruins come into this game looking to snap a three-game losing streak after a 94-77 loss to Washington last time out. Sebastian Mack leads the Bruins in scoring with 12.8 PPG along with 3.5 RPG while Adem Bona has 12.3 PPG with 6 RPG. Lazar Stefanovic has 11.5 PPG with a team-high 6.1 RPG to lead UCLA on the boards while Dylan Andrews has 11.3 PPG and a team-high 3.9 APG to lead the Bruins in assists and to round out the group of double-digit scorers for UCLA up to this point in the year. As a team, UCLA is averaging 66.3 PPG on 41.5% shooting from the field, 31.5% from three and 73.2% from the foul line this season.
Washington State Team Preview
The Washington State Cougars come into this one looking to build on a 75-72 win over USC in their last matchup. Myles Rice leads the Cougars in scoring and assists with 15.4 PPG and 3.8 APG while Isaac Jones has 15.4 PPG with a team-high 7.6 RPG to lead Washington State on the glass this season. Andrej Jakimovski has 10.3 PPG with 5.4 RPG and Jaylen Wells has 11.8 PPG with 4.4 RPG to cap off the group of double-digit scorers for Washington State up to this point in the year. As a team, Washington State is averaging 75 PPG, 47.1% shooting from the field, 35.2% from three and 70.8% from the foul line this season.
UCLA vs. Washington State Prediction
I’m on UCLA and the points here. Washington State’s been the far better team over the course of conference play and UCLA looks like they’re starting to run out of gas after a herculean effort to get their record back to respectable after a rough 2023-24 season. However, this is still a talented UCLA team that’s been playing better in conference play and is more than capable of making this game ugly and a low-scoring war. I think there’s value with UCLA and the points so I’ll grab them with the Bruins here.
