Languishing near the bottom half of the Pac-12 standings this late is new for UCLA. The Bruins will attempt to climb out of the hole they dug themselves and keep their slim tournament hopes alive by knocking off Utah, a contender for the top spot in the conference.
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HOW THE UTAH UTES CAN COVER THE SPREAD
Utah will try and take advantage of Jakob Poeltl down low, and why not. A threat for Pac-12 Player of the Year honors, Poeltl has been one of the most efficient players in the country as the Utes remain in striking distance for the Pac-12 regular season title.
The Washington schools offered little resistance to the seven-foot sophomore, who connected on 22 of 26 field goals and scored 48 points in Utah’s sweep last week. Poeltl scored 25 against Washington State on Sunday, adding 10 rebounds as Utah dominated the paint by scoring 50 points.
The Utes should expect more of a fight from UCLA, who has the bodies to keep Poeltl and Jordan Loveridge from doing what they want around the rim. Utah will turn to their backcourt to keep the Bruins honest.
Starting guards Lorenzo Bonam and Brandon Taylor hit a mid-season swoon, but coach Larry Krystkowiak credited the two with better focus after they were challenged and embarrassed on the recent Oregon trip. The pair can help open up the lane with dribble penetration and by knocking down the occasional jumper.
HOW THE UCLA BRUINS CAN COVER THE SPREAD
After blowing a lead in a loss to Arizona, the Bruins injected a little life into their faint NCAA tournament hopes by closing out Arizona State. Talent disparity or not, UCLA showed a few encouraging signs.
Most notably was the play of sophomore Johan Bolden, who led the Bruins with a career-high 16 points. That’s no small feat, even considering his four-star pedigree. Entering Sunday’s contest with the sun Devils, the 6-foot-10 forward was averaging just 3.5 points in conference play.
Coach Steve Alford pointed out that his Bruins haven’t beaten the more athletic teams in the conference, losing to Oregon, Washington and USC. A way to combat that is to insert Bolden into the starting lineup and give him extended minutes. His presence immediately makes the Bruins more athletic, gives them options in the half court game and improves the defense.
The work of Bolden, Tony Parker and Thomas Welsh should be enough to neutralize the effectiveness of Poeltl and Loveridge in the block. The question for the Bruins is can Bryce Alford and Isaac Hamilton do enough in the backcourt. They’ll need to for UCLA to have a chance.
ANALYSIS AND ODDS PREDICTION
The Bruins need to play with a sense of urgency to have any hopes of earning a NCAA tournament bid. The more we see UCLA, the more coach Steve Alford’s reluctance to change is evident. It took most of the season, but coach Alford is now seeing the value of playing Bolden. He gives the team a dimension it lacked, makes them more competitive on the defensive end and frees Parker from the four spot, where he just wasn’t at his best. Parker and Welsh are tenacious rebounders, particularly on the offensive glass, and the ability to add extra possessions gives the Bruins a chance to score points. They need to because the defense has been a weak spot. Poeltl is Utah’s top player and Bolden should be tasked with slowing him down. He’ll have help down low from Parker and Welsh and the Bruins will force someone other than Poeltl to beat them. Taylor and Bonam will have the opportunity, and if successful, the Utes escape Pauley with a victory.
Utah 89, UCLA 84
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Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook! The matchup between the Utah Utes and UCLA Bruins will go down Thursday, February 18, 2016 at 10 p.m. ET at Pauley Pavilion. The matchup will be televised live on ESPN2.
