The UCLA Bruins look to stay undefeated tonight as they face the second-place Arizona State Sun Devils for the first time this season. In one of the top NCAA basketball games today, The Bruins are ranked fifth in the country in the AP Top 25 with a 16-2 record.
They also lead the college basketball standings in the Pac-12 conference with a 7-0 record and sit alone in the first place.
UCLA is Trying to Extend their Winning Streak
UCLA is trying to extend its winning streak to 14 games with a victory tonight. They defeated the Colorado Buffaloes 68-54 in their last contest at home on Saturday. Those betting on March Madness have the Bruins as one of the favorites to win it all this season.
The Sun Devils are unranked, even though they have a 15-3 record and are just one game behind UCLA in the Pac-12 standings. They recently dropped two straight games, including a loss against the 11th-ranked Arizona Wildcats, and are looking for their fifth straight conference win.
Arizona State’s college basketball players led them to their last win on Saturday over the Oregon State Beavers, 74-69. NCAAB odds have them as underdogs at home in this matchup.
UCLA Bruins vs. Arizona State Sun Devils Odds
UCLA Bruins
Moneyline: -215
Spread: -5.5 (-104)
Over/Under: 135.5 (-110)
Arizona State Sun Devils
Moneyline: +176
Spread: +5.5 (+176)
Over/Under: 135.5 (-110)
UCLA Bruins vs. Arizona State Sun Devils Information
UCLA Bruins vs. Arizona State Sun Devils
Location of the game: Desert Financial Arena, Tempe, AZ.
Date: Thursday, 19th January. 9:30 PM ET.
How to watch: FS1.
Head-to-Head Record
Tonight will be the season’s first meeting between these NCAA basketball teams. They split their last ten meetings, but the Sun Devils have covered the spread in seven of those contests. They split last season’s games, with the Bruins winning their previous matchup 66-52 on their home floor. This UCLA vs Arizona State prediction has the Bruins as favorites in this conference matchup on the road.
UCLA Bruins vs. Arizona State Sun Devils Analysis
The Bruins have only played four road games on this season‘s NCAAB schedule and are undefeated. However, tonight is the start of a three-game road trip, all against conference rivals. UCLA’s strength is its defense, which allows 60.1 points per game to rank 17th in the country. In addition, they’re holding opponents to 41.4% shooting and only 29.1% from three-point range.
Tonight will be the sixth straight Pac-12 clash on the Arizona State Sun Devils schedule. They are pretty even with the Bruins on defense, allowing 65.4 points per game. However, they rank seventh in the nation in opponent field goal percentage, holding them to 37.4% shooting. They are even better at home, limiting visiting teams to 35.5% from the field.
Key Injuries
This week’s college basketball injury report shows Bruins G Amari Bailey and F Evan Manjikian as questionable for this matchup with injuries.
For Arizona State, F Marcus Bagley is out of the lineup indefinitely for disciplinary reasons.
UCLA Bruins vs. Arizona State Sun Devils Betting Pick and Prediction
The UCLA vs Arizona State prediction for this matchup has the Bruins covering the 5.5-point spread on the road against the Sun Devils and remaining undefeated away from home. Most college basketball picks today have them as favorites to extend their winning streak to 14 games. The UCLA Bruins odds for this season show they’re 7-0 as favorites in conference play and are 2-1 against the spread versus Pac-12 opponents this season.
Pick 1: UCLA -5.5 (-144) on the spread.
These conference rivals hold their opponents to under 66 points per game, with the Sun Devils giving up 63.1 points at home. The Bruins average 73.5 points per game on the road but will be limited by Arizona State’s top-ranked defense that holds opponents to under 36% shooting at Desert Financial Arena.
Also, the total has gone under for UCLA in all seven previous games and seven of the last eight games for the Sun Devils. Therefore, the UCLA vs Arizona State prediction is that the total will go under for these two solid defensive squads.
Pick 2: Under 135.5 points (-110).
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