Could tired legs play a role when the Oregon Ducks play host to the UCLA Bruins on Sunday night? Dana Altman’s kids secured a marathon overtime win against the USC Trojans on Thursday night a game removed from needing overtime to dispose of the Washington Huskies in Seattle. As for UCLA, it looks like it’s recently started to figure things out since dropping three straight to Washington State, USC and Stanford all in non-covering fashion at online sportsbooks. Does that mean that we should just blindly take the points with the Bruins considering they’ve owned the recent rivalry in taking four of the last five meetings both SU and ATS? If you can believe it, I’m leaning that way!
This Pac-12 tussle will take place on Sunday, January 26, 2020. Tip-off will be at 5 p.m. ET from the Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene, OR. The game will be broadcast live on Pac-12 Network. So make sure to fill out your March Madness Bracket today!
CBB Betting Odds at BookMaker.eu
Odds Analysis
Don’t look now, but the UCLA Bruins are finally starting to play some defense! It was only a matter of time until that started to occur with Mick Cronin watching over the program. Those three losses to the Cougars, Trojans and Cardinal looked to be the last straw for the new coaching staff. Since then, the Bruins have conceded an average of just 49 points in its last two games against Cal at home and Oregon State on the road. Limiting the Beavers to just 58 points in their own gym was quite the eye-opener as was getting to the free throw line 21 times and knocking 16 of them down. The win evened the road record up at 2-2 SU and ATS.
Since going on to cover 10 of their first 13 games, Payton Pritchard and his mates have started to hemorrhage profits for their CBB betting supporters in recent weeks. After pounding Montana 81-48 as near 20-point favorites in the middle of December, Oregon has managed just three pointspread covers in its last nine games having last just come a point short of getting the job done in the double overtime win over the Trojans. They were in a position to cover that game late simply due to the Trojans running out of steam after coming back to take the lead down 11 points at one point in the second half. If not for Pritchard and Chris Duarte, they would’ve been dead in the water. As it is, the Ducks are yet to be defeated at home through 11 games (6-5 ATS).
Player to Watch
Though Pritchard gets all the pub for being the sensational point guard and court general that he is, the Ducks would be going absolutely nowhere this season if not for the efforts of frosh sensation Chris Duarte. The youngster is averaging 12.8 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game, but he’s really turned it on of late; especially against the Trojans whom he logged a double-double against with 31 points and 11 rebounds while draining 3 of 6 attempted shots from long range. His ability to get out in transition and score off turnovers has been uncanny. Though the Bruins have limited their turnovers in the consecutive wins coughing it up a total of 23 times, UCLA has committed miscues nearly 25 times per game when on the road. That’s not a good thing with Pritchard and Duarte two of the best finishers in the country.
Prediction
I faded the Ducks minus the points on Thursday night and lean towards doing it once again in this one. However, I’ll instead recommend taking a position on the under. UCLA’s offense has been nothing short of awful all season long with it averaging less than 70 points per game (No. 239) while shooting just over 43 percent as a team (No. 201). It’s laughable from beyond the arc (No. 316) and below average from the charity stripe (No. 216). But it gets the benefit of running up against a fatigued Oregon squad that could find scoring the basketball all the more tough with the Bruins recently playing an inspired brand of defensive basketball. The over could be a popular choice of public bettors with it cashing each of the last four times these clubs squared off against one another. Should that be the case, I’d look to fade that action but first see how high the number to beat reaches before jumping in head first.
College Basketball Pick: Oregon 66, UCLA 63
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