Washington State vs UCLA Betting Preview
Sportsmemo college basketball analyst Kyle Kargel gives his Washington State vs UCLA predictions tipping off at 11:00pm ET the from Friel Court at Beasley Coliseum. Washington State has lost four of their last five games with UCLA winning 8-straight since starting 3-2.
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Betting Odds For Washington State vs UCLA
Friday, December 30 | Pac 12 Conference Betting Notes |
---|---|
Point Spread: | Washington State Cougars +8.5 vs UCLA Bruins |
Total: | 133.5 Points |
Game Time: | 11:00pm ET / 8:00pm PT |
Arena: | Friel Court at Beasley Coliseum in Pullman, WA (Odds Above by DraftKings) |
TV: | Pac 12 Network |
Washington State vs UCLA Betting Analysis
With many teams around the country starting to kick off conference play, both Washington State and UCLA have already played two Pac 12 games a piece but had differing results with the Bruins going 2-0 already and the Cougars going 0-2.
UCLA is starting to find their grove winning 8-straight including a 27-point win at Maryland while listed as a 2-point underdog and a 10-point in against Kentucky while listed as a 1.5-point favorite. The 5-8 Cougars just can’t get it going coming off back-to-back losses against Hawaii and Utah State.
Washington State heads into their Pac 12 game against UCLA tonight as 8.5-point underdogs with the total sitting around 133.5. Let’s see what type of betting angles we can take away before tip off.
Bruins Are In Business
Ranked as KenPom’s #4 team in the country, UCLA is playing top-notch basketball on both ends of the court. The Bruins rank in the top 10 nationally in both offensive and defensive adjusted efficiency.
If we’re going to be picky about the Bruins, the only thing they lack is consistent 3pt shooting game-to-game. It hasn’t hurt them yet as they only made seven combined three pointers in their wins against Maryland and Kentucky, but it’s something they’ll have to develop over the season if they hope to make a deep run in the tournament.
For now though they’ll keep relying on Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Jaylen Clark driving the lane creating easy baskets for themselves and players around them.
On the defensive end five different Bruins players average between 1-3 steals per game which will make it tough for a Washington State offense that struggles with turnovers. The Bruins are 10th nationally in turnover percentage on defense per game.
Cougars Can’t Stop Teams In Paint
As stated, Washington State isn’t the best taking care of the ball ranking 299th in turnover percentage on offense. They’re also prone to make unforced errors ranking 312th nationally in non-steal turnovers.
They’ll have a hard time on defense as well as they give up the 17th most points inside the arch per game of any team nationally. UCLA is 3rd in that category on offense so the Bruins could have a field day inside if they want.
If the Cougars want any hope of covering 6’11 sophomore forward Mouhamed Gueye must be on his game.
He averages 13.5 points and 8.2 rebounds per game and serves as the team’s leading force inside. Guard TJ Bamba leads the team in scoring at 16.8 ppg and has surpassed this total in four of the team’s last five games.
Washington State vs UCLA Prediction
Although I don’t expect this to be a fast paced game by any stretch of the imagination, I do think enough scoring happens to get up and over the total of 133.5.
UCLA is on a tear and I don’t see that momentum slowing down. Feel free to sprinkle some on UCLA -8.5 as well in a score to me looking like 77-65.
Prediction: Over 133.5 Points Scored / UCLA Bruins -8.5
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Happy Hour Tip-Off Show
Get your daily fix of college hoops betting information with Joe Raineri and a rotating panel of handicapping guests.
The Happy Hour Tip-Off Show will broadcast Monday through Friday at 1:45pm ET / 10:45am PT. Pull up a barstool and join us as we break down tonight’s college basketball card, including possibly this Washington State vs UCLA clash, from a sports betting perspective.
College Basketball Stat Sheet
GoldSheet prepares a daily college basketball stat sheet, which offers a head-to-head comparison for how teams are performing in a number of key areas heading into a game. Check out Friday’s sheet, with notes on tonight’s Washington State vs UCLA contest.
College Basketball Odds Screen
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Track the college basketball point spreads, moneylines, first half lines and betting percentages for all of Thursday’s college basketball games, including this Washington State vs UCLA showdown, from your desktop or phone.
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