by Chuck Sommers
Saturday, Jan 08, 2022
Time: 8 p.m. ET
Venue: Haas Pavillion, Berkeley, CA
Where to watch: PAC-12 Network
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: UCLA -8.5
BetMGM: UCLA -9.5
Caesars: UCLA -8.5
Season record
No. 5 UCLA: 9-1 (1-0 Pac-12)
Cal: 9-6 (2-2 Pac-12)
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UCLA - Cal preview and analysis
Recent form
UCLA: won 96-78 vs. Long Beach State on Thursday
California: lost 77-63 vs. USC on Thursday
The UCLA Bruins will play their second game since coming back from a COVID-related pause when they face the California Golden Bears on Saturday.
The fifth-ranked Bruins are playing just for the second time since Dec. 11 when they won 67-56 at Marquette. UCLA played its first game in 27 days on Thursday, resulting in a 96-78 victory against Long Beach State.
UCLA pushed its winning streak to four games with that win over LBSU, having not tasted defeat since losing to Gonzaga in Las Vegas on Nov. 23.
Jules Bernard finished with a team-high 22 points on 7 of 12 shooting and made four 3-pointers. Tyger Campbell finished with 11 points and 10 assists, while Johnny Juzang chipped in with 18 points to be the only starters who scored in double figures.
"We were desperate to get back on the court," UCLA coach Mick Cronin said. "You got to start playing games. You can only simulate so much in practice."
UCLA has won eight straight in the series while going 5-3 against the spread. The last meeting, back on Jan. 21, 2021, saw UCLA win in Berkeley, 61-57 and seeing the Bears covering as 9-point dogs. The Bruins had covered in the previous four.
Cal had a shorter pause in the schedule than UCLA, but had its five-game winning streak end on Thursday against No. 7 USC in a 14-point loss. The Bears have already played four conference games.
Despite Cal big man Grant Anticevich going for 19 points, he and Jordan Shepard were really the only lines of offense in that home loss to the Trojans. The Bears shot just 5 of 17 from 3-point range in what turned out to be an overmatched performance.
"We didn't play well enough to beat a top-10 team tonight," Cal coach Mark Fox said. "We didn't rebound the ball in the first half and then in the second half we didn't force enough stops to even have our rebounding be exposed. They wore us out on the interior and that was more disappointing than surprising."
The fifth-ranked Bruins are playing just for the second time since Dec. 11 when they won 67-56 at Marquette. UCLA played its first game in 27 days on Thursday, resulting in a 96-78 victory against Long Beach State.
UCLA pushed its winning streak to four games with that win over LBSU, having not tasted defeat since losing to Gonzaga in Las Vegas on Nov. 23.
Jules Bernard finished with a team-high 22 points on 7 of 12 shooting and made four 3-pointers. Tyger Campbell finished with 11 points and 10 assists, while Johnny Juzang chipped in with 18 points to be the only starters who scored in double figures.
"We were desperate to get back on the court," UCLA coach Mick Cronin said. "You got to start playing games. You can only simulate so much in practice."
UCLA has won eight straight in the series while going 5-3 against the spread. The last meeting, back on Jan. 21, 2021, saw UCLA win in Berkeley, 61-57 and seeing the Bears covering as 9-point dogs. The Bruins had covered in the previous four.
Cal had a shorter pause in the schedule than UCLA, but had its five-game winning streak end on Thursday against No. 7 USC in a 14-point loss. The Bears have already played four conference games.
Despite Cal big man Grant Anticevich going for 19 points, he and Jordan Shepard were really the only lines of offense in that home loss to the Trojans. The Bears shot just 5 of 17 from 3-point range in what turned out to be an overmatched performance.
"We didn't play well enough to beat a top-10 team tonight," Cal coach Mark Fox said. "We didn't rebound the ball in the first half and then in the second half we didn't force enough stops to even have our rebounding be exposed. They wore us out on the interior and that was more disappointing than surprising."
Prediction
It could take a little bit for UCLA to get back into the groove but playing a lower-level opponent in Cal will aid in that process. This shouldn't be too difficult of a game for UCLA to wrap up. UCLA by 16
Betting trends
UCLA is 12-7 ATS in the last three years when playing a second game in three days.
UCLA is 6-1 ATS in the last three seasons after a combined score of 165 points.
Cal is 11-10 ATS in Saturday games the past three seasons.
Projected starting lineup
UCLA:
PG: Tyger Campbell
SG: Jules Bernard
SF: Johnny Juzang
PF: Jaime Jaquez Jr.
C: Myles Johnson
California:
PG: Joel Brown
SG: Jordan Shepard
SF: Kuany Kuany
PF: Andre Kelly
C: Grant Anticevich
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Chuck Sommers
About the Author:
Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.
