There might not be a more vexing team in the nation than the UCLA Bruins. They looked so darn good against Kentucky and Gonzaga in huge upsets, but then they have moments like they had last week when they were beaten on the road as favorites against both Washington and Washington State, allowing nearly 200 total points in the process of those performances.
Just from that standpoint, it almost feels like an upset of the Arizona Wildcats on Thursday should be a given at Pauley Pavilion.
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HOW THE ARIZONA WILDCATS CAN COVER THE SPREAD
The road upset at Gonzaga might've propelled the Wildcats back to a position where they can get a spot on the top line in the NCAA Tournament. They've thrived since then, winning all six of their games, covering five of the six in the process, and they've scored at least 82 points in each affair.
If the Wildcats are scoring in the 80s, they're darn near impossible to beat. With Kaleb Tarczewski back in the fold from a minor injury which cost him a couple weeks, the Wildcats have four different men who go at least 6-foot-9 who can be shuffled in and out of the lineup, and the one thing they're all tasked to do is be a nuisance to smaller forwards who might want to stretch the floor.
There's a reason why opponents are shooting just 29.1 percent from long range this year against Arizona. The three-point shot is the great equalizer in college hoops, but Sean Miller absolutely loves the makeup of his team and has to love how well his forwards are stepping out to guard the perimeter against those stretch fours and fives.
HOW THE UCLA BRUINS CAN COVER THE SPREAD
Bryce Alford averaged 2.6 threes per game last season for the Bruins. His scoring average is up to 16.9 points per game, but he's also averaging fewer than two made shots from downtown, and his shooting percentages are way down. It would sure help if he could knock down a few shots in this game.
The common thread in the big upsets though, is good rebounding. UCLA has an athletic side as well, but in games against Gonzaga and Kentucky, it actually won the rebounding battle. In both instances, that would've been viewed as a big upset in and of itself.
The Bruins are again facing a game where they're expected to be dominated on the glass.
That was the case against North Carolina as well, a game in which they were -1 on the boards. However, the problem that day came in the form of 17 turnovers, another issue that could rear its ugly head.
ANALYSIS AND ODDS PREDICTION
If you can figure out which Bruins are going to show up on Thursday, please let us know. Are we getting the ones which parlayed dominant double-doubles by Thomas Welsh and Tony Parker into advantages on the glass and excellent three-point shooting from Alford and Isaac Hamilton? Or are we getting the ones who already have eight games this year with at least 15 turnovers and often seemingly force up three-point shots when nothing else is working instead of trying to get the ball down in the paint?
We know that Arizona is in fine form and isn't going to be intimidated going into Westwood, but just when you think you've got UCLA figured out, something really strange happens.
In this case, it might be an upset of the Wildcats.
UCLA 88, Arizona 83
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Real-time spreads, totals, props and moneyline odds are all available by clicking here, so starting betting with BookMaker today! The matchup between the Arizona Wildcats and the UCLA Bruins will go down on Thursday, January 7, 2016 at 9:00 p.m. ET at Pauley Pavilion. You can watch the game live on ESPN2.
