It’s been an amazing start to the season for the No. 2 UCLA Bruins. UCLA looks every bit the contender with freshmen sensations Lonzo Ball and TJ Leaf and are getting the right amount of support from veterans like Isaac Hamilton and Bryce Alford as well. They have now knocked off two high profile teams in a row in Kentucky and Michigan and will look to run their record to 12-0 on Saturday afternoon when they head to Sin City to face the Ohio State Buckeyes.
This war on the floor will go down Saturday, December 17, 2016, at 3 p.m. ET at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV. This game will be televised live on CBS. We will have NCAA basketball odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game on the college basketball Saturday schedule.
College Basketball Odds at BookMaker.eu
UCLA has been one of the most reliable teams to bet on this season despite increasing spreads. The Bruins are 8-2 ATS this season and have covered seven straight, including an outright win on the road at Kentucky as an 11-point underdog.
Ohio State has an absolutely dreadful outright loss to Florida Atlantic on its resume and has had trouble covering this season. The Buckeyes are 3-5 ATS and didn’t come close to covering in most of those losses.
Player to Watch
College basketball and NBA types can’t help themselves when they talk about Lonzo Ball. Ball has skills that are rare for a player his age and vision that is drawing comparisons to the best NBA point guards.
He leads the team with 8.8 assists per game and although he can be turnover prone it’s more than worth it for what he brings to the table. Ball’s ability to see the court leads to a lot of fast break chances for the Bruins and is a big reason why this team is averaging 97.5 PPG.
If there’s one thing to not like about Ball, it’s his unorthodox shooting style. Even though he is hitting 56 percent of his field goal attempts, it’s hard to think he can keep having success with his form. Ball starts his windup from the hip and then quickly works the ball up as he jumps before releasing at eye-level. Clever defenders with quick hands are going to harass him as the season wears on and that is going to lead to a drop in his shooting percentage.
Key Stat
Ohio State has been one of the worst teams in the country this season when it comes to converting free throws. The Buckeyes are hitting just 65.2 percent of their free throw attempts through 10 games and their best player has been one of the biggest culprits.
Jae’Sean Tate has some major problems from the line. For the third straight season, he is hitting a better percentage of shots from the floor than he is from the free throw line and opposing teams have taken note. When Ohio State is up late in games, more often than not Tate has to prove his mettle at the free throw line and can be shaky. He’s such a good scorer it’s hard to bench him, but down the stretch that might be the right call.
Free College Basketball ATS Picks
Ohio State suffered an awful loss last week against Florida Atlantic and there are legitimate concerns about whether or not this team plays down to opponents. Although the Buckeyes blew out the dregs of their schedule, North Carolina Central, Navy, and Fairleigh Dickinson have all hung tough with this team.
Ohio State has also shown it can play with the best of its schedule, knocking off Providence and Connecticut and only losing by two to a solid Virginia squad. The Buckeyes will have a full week off before this game and can hang around with the Bruins. UCLA should be a high single-digit or low double-digit favorite, but Ohio State will hang in there and get a cover.
College Basketball Odds: UCLA 88, Ohio State 84
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