With a collection of talent that rivals any in college basketball, the UCLA Bruins are considered a favorite by many to be a Final Four team. That’s good news for the Bruins, but right now they aren’t even leading the Pac-12. The conference is top-heavy with three top-15 teams lurking at the top of the standings and UCLA could use a victory over the Arizona Wildcats to keep from falling further behind. There will be an astounding number of gifted players on the court when these two collide on Saturday.
This war on the floor will go down Saturday, January 21, 2017, at 4 p.m. ET at Pauley Pavilion. The game will be televised live on CBS.
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Odds at BookMaker.eu
UCLA enters the week perfect at home with a 10-0 SU ledger but is just 5-5 ATS. The Bruins were money against the spread during non-conference play, compiling a 10-2 ATS record, but they’ve struggled to cover since the start of league play. Utah got a backdoor cover on the Bruins last week scoring a field goal as time expired to cover the 2.5-point spread in the 83-82 loss. Overall, UCLA is just 1-5 ATS heading into Thursday’s matchup with ASU.
The Wildcats enter the week riding a 10-game winning streak and are 16-2 overall. They’re also tied with Oregon at the top of the conference standings. Arizona has gotten better as the season’s progressed with their only losses coming to Gonzaga and Butler in a three-game stretch. UA has played just three true road games and they are perfect at 3-0 SU and ATS. They swept the Northern California schools to start league play, but get a much stiffer test against the Bruins.
Key Stat
Taking full advantage of his four guard lineup, UCLA coach Steve Alford has assembled the most efficient offense in college basketball. The Bruins’ goal was to score 110 points per 100 possessions this season and they’ve obliterated that number so far. UCLA’s offensive efficiency according to Kenpom.com is 124.9 and they’ve reached 140 on several occasions this season. In other words, the Bruins can score.
Led by Bryce Alford and Lonzo Ball, the Bruins are averaging 92.9 points per game, third-best in the country, and lead all of Division I with a 53.2 field goal percentage. The Bruins are also above the national average for percentage of field goals being of the three-point variety. And it’s helped their offensive numbers that the Bruins have drained 43.3 percent of those long distance shots.
Player to Watch
UCLA likes to push the pace and tempo with its four-guard lineup and with a lack of size up front, the Bruins could be susceptible to the play of Lauri Markkanen. The Wildcats have an imposing front with a pair of 7-footers in Markkanen and Dusan Ristic, along with 6-9 Chance Comanche coming off the bench. But Markkanen is the guy that can give UCLA problems. He’s athletic enough to run the floor and spaces the court with solid outside shooting. He tallied a team season-high 30 points against Arizona State on Jan. 12 connecting on 4 of 7 three-pointers.
Just a freshman, Markkanen presents a big matchup problem for opponents and he’s been able to take advantage. He’s deadly from the floor, hitting better than 50 percent of his shots and isn’t shy to launch the long ball. He isn’t an imposing figure on the floor, but Markkanen can scrap with the best and doesn’t get pushed around very easily.
Free College Basketball ATS Picks
Both teams have exceptional talent and this one figures to be a hotly contested matchup, as they usually are when these teams collide. The Bruins have returned to the upper crust of the Pac-12 after a down season and Lonzo Ball has a lot to do with that. Along with Bryce Alford and TJ Leaf, Ball has led the most efficient offense in the country. Arizona is a decent defensive club and they force opponents to shoot from the perimeter with their mammoth front.
Unfortunately for the Wildcats, that’s what UCLA does best. The Bruins will get into a transition game and drop shots from distance to frustrate Arizona’s bigs. And UCLA always seems to have an advantage playing at Pauley Pavilion. This game will be close, but the Bruins will do more offensively with their weapons and wear down the Wildcats in the second half.
College Basketball Odds: UCLA 83, Arizona 77
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