Game Time: 8:00 PM ET, Tuesday, January 25th, 2022

Venue: Pauley Pavilion, Los Angeles, California

Where to Watch:  ESPN

 

DraftKings Sportsbook:  Arizona -2.5; O/U 150.5

Caesars:  Spread: Arizona -3; O/U 150

VegasInsider:  Spread: Arizona -3; O/U 150

WynnBet: Spread: NL

Arizona: 6-0 conf, 16-1 overall (Pac-12)

UCLA: 5-1 conf, 13-2 overall (Pac-12)

A great Pac-12 matchup that has repercussions across the Pac-12 and all of college basketball. The #7 UCLA Bruins under third-year UCLA coach Mick Cronin have re-established themselves as a force to reckon with.  The Bruins are the all-time leader of college basketball National Championships… and if you count every sport UCLA leaves every other school in the dust.  If you glance across the NBA you will see Bruin players everywhere and Bruin players everywhere throughout the basketball Hall of Fame… The Bruins slipped into a funk for a decade or so in the early 2000’s… only to return to the juggernaut of future pros, spitting out players like Russell Westbrook, Zach LaVine, Aaron Afflalo, Kevin Love, Kyle Anderson, Lonzo Ball, The Holiday brothers, Trevor Ariza… soon they will launch SG Johnny Juzang into the league along with a few other from this group… Since last year’s Final Four loss was razor thin, Johnny's expectation is another shot at it.   Arizona also has an impressive list of pros! Deandre Ayton, Aaron Gordon, Andre Iguodala, Lauri Markkanen… to name a few… Tommy Lloyd is the Wildcats coach having taken over for Sean Miller.  Tommy was an assistant at Gonzaga for 20 seasons taking part in the development of several pros both NBA and international… plus several surprising tournament runs.  The Bruins are familiar with coach Lloyd’s face.. He was across on the Gonzaga staff that took away the title shot last season.  This is a battle built to reinvigorate a rivalry.  It should be a fun one.  You should use it to take some money off your sportsbook.

The Arizona Wildcats are a dominant group. They have won 9 of their last ten games, only losing to the Tennessee Volunteers. They are 5-4-1 during that stretch.  Both teams in this matchup have suffered on the betting lines from needing to cover large spreads.  Sophomore Guard Bennedict Mathurin (a Canadien no less) has made the jump from his freshman year and now leads the team in scoring.  This Wildcats team does have a dominant big man 7’1 Center Christian Koloko.  Christian is a big man that has risen from little used freshman to beast underneath… he leads the team in rebounds and blocked shots…. And of course FG%.  However the last ten games for the Wildcats don't have many opponents of high quality… Stanford and Utah aren’t what they once were, Cal is practically asleep.

The Ucla Bruins are stacked this season… It’s not just leading scorer Johnny Juzang… it’s also exciting PG Tyger Campbell and blistering hustler Jaime Jaquez JR… and those are just the guards! Johnny and Jaime were stand outs during that Final Four run and have the experience to keep the club moving.  The squad also has a variety of quality guards bringing the heat with the second unit.  The absence of a dominant big man is concerning, but made up for by a platoon of large skilled guys that rotate into the forward positions.  They have 8 wins over their last 10 games and those 2 losses are also the only two losses on the season.  The two losses are to the Oregon Ducks and the Gonzaga Bulldogs. Something was definitely off during the Gonzaga game, but the Oregon loss was a full on flub.  They aren’t winning bets as often as anyone would like as they are 3-6-1 ATS during the 10 game stretch,

Al McMordie was 2-2 last night, and is back on the NCAA hardwood today, where he is 60-40 in January. Don't miss Big Al's College Basketball Triple Pack on this Tuesday, as it includes 3 big plays that will be Rocking Chair Winners. Get on board right now! Go Get it!!  Get Big Al’s pick!!  It's available right now at the Shop Picks page, where you can find all of the Best Bets from our champion sports handicappers. All your NCAA basketball needs for the entire college basketball season!

Arizona is 16-1 on the season, but 11-5-1 ATS.  They have logged 10 Overs and 7 Unders.  They are 4-1 in road games.

The Bruins are 13-2 on the season (they have played less because of canceled games), but 6-8-1 ATS.  They have notched 7 Overs and 8 Unders.  They are 7-1 in home games.

Arizona is 2nd in the nation in scoring with 88.7 ppg, 1st in rebounds with 40.4 per game, and 9th in AST/To ratio with 1.6.  They are shooting 5th in FG% with a staggering 50.1%... they drop back to reality at 132nd in 3PT% and 110th in FT%.  The defense is solid as well at 71st while allowing 64.4 ppg from opponents.

The Bruins are 36th in scoring with 78.8 ppg, 68th in rebounds with 35.2 per game, and 15th in AST/TO ratio with 1.5.  They play defense through emotion at 107th while allowing 66.1 ppg.

Our prediction for Tuesday, January 25th is…  Bruins 84 - Wildcats 81

The Bruins must beat Arizona and they know it.  For UCLA this will be a tournament style emotional game.. The stats are close but UCLA has the experience… plus you get to put 3 points in your pocket in what should be a hard fought game.

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UCLA is 4-0 ATS versus Arizona over the last 3 seasons.

UCLA is 2-0 ATS versus Arizona at UCLA over the last 3 seasons.

Both games at UCLA went Under.

3 of 4 games total have gone Under.

Wildcats: PF Azuolas Tubelis (ankle) Out ** SF Kim Aiken (personal) Out

Bruins: F Mac Etienne (knee) Out indefinitely

Wildcats: G Bennedict Mathurin, G Pelle Larson, G Dalen Terry, G Kerr Krissa, C Christian Koloko

Bruins: F Jules Bernard, F Cody Riley, G Johnny Juzang, G Tyger Campbell, G Jaime Jaquez Jr

Wildcats

Points: Bennedict Mathurin 17.5

Assists: Kerr Krissa 5.3

Rebounds: Christian Koloko 7.2

Steals: Dalen Terry 1.2

Blocks: Christian Koloko 3.2

Bruins

Points: Johnny Juzang 18.3

Assists: Tyger Campbell 4.3

Rebounds: Jaime Jaquez Jr 5.6

Steals: Tyger Campbell 1.3

Blocks: Myles Johnson 1.5

Arizona: Tommy Lloyd

UCLA: Mick Cronin