UCLA Bruins vs Utah Utes Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 01/20/2022

by Amedeus Mastrangelo

Wednesday, Jan 19, 2022
Game Time: 11:00 pm ET, Thursday, January 20, 2022
Venue:  Jon M. Huntsman Center, Salt Lake City, UT
Where to Watch:  Fox Sports 1

 

Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  UCLA -9.5, Utah +9.5; Over/Under:  144 points
Bet365:  Point Spread:  UCLA -9.5, Utah +9.5; Over/Under:  144 points
BetMGM:  Point Spread:  UCLA -9.5, Utah +9.5; Over/Under:  144.5 points
 

Season Record

UCLA Bruins:  11-2 (2nd place, Pac-12)
Utah Utes:  8-10 (12th place, Pac-12)
 
Do not miss out on our expert handicapper analysis! Ben Burns is on a RUN of 16-4 L20 CBB SIDES! Make sure you check out his picks and many more from the expert handicappers featured in the Shop Picks section.

 

UCLA Bruins vs Utah Utes Preview and Analysis

 
Recent Form
UCLA Bruins:  4-1 last 5
Utah Utes:  0-5 last 5
 
 
 

UCLA Bruins Analysis

UCLA is coming into this game with a 11-2 record overall and they are 3-0 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. This will be their 5th conference matchup of the year and they are currently 3-1 in their conference games this season. They have won 6 of their last 7 games and are coming into this one off of a win in their last game. Their last loss was against the Oregon Ducks while their 6 wins in that span came against the UNLV Rebels, the Colorado Buffaloes, the Marquette Golden Eagles, the Long Beach State 49ers, the California Golden Bears, and the Oregon State Beavers in their last game. Johnny Juzang led the team in points in that game with 24 while Jules Bernard was next on the team with 16 points. Tyger Campbell, Juzang, and Bernard all led the team in assists in that game with 3 each while Juzang led the team in rebounds with 6. They were 61.7% from the field, 16.7% from 3-point range, and 80.8% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 80.6 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 66.8 PPG against them. UCLA has an ATS record of 5-7-1 this season and their O/U record is 7-6.
 
 

Utah Utes Analysis

Utah is coming into this game with an 8-10 record overall and they are 6-3 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. This will be the 9th conference matchup on their schedule this year and they are currently 1-7 in their conference games this season. Their last win was against the Fresno State Bulldogs but they have gone on a 6 game losing streak since then with losses coming against the Oregon State Beavers, the Oregon Ducks, the Washington Huskies, the Washington State Cougars, the Arizona Wildcats, and the Arizona State Sun Devils in their last game. David Jenkins Jr. led the team in points in that game off the bench with 14 while Rollie Worster was next on the team with 13 points. Worster led the team in assists in that game with 3 while Dusan Mahorcic led the team in rebounds with 8. They were 35.1% from the field, 25% from 3-point range, and 85% from the free throw line with their shots in that game. Their offense is averaging 70.7 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 69.3 PPG against them. Utah has an ATS record of 6-10-2 this season and their O/U record is 9-9.
 

 

UCLA vs Utah Prediction

UCLA is coming into this game as a 9.5 point favorite with the current betting odds according to Draftkings Sportsbook. UCLA has picked up right where they left off after their covid-19 pause and they have been playing very well in their recent games. They have been very good on the road this season and have a record of 3-0 in those games. They are going up against a Utah side that have lost 6 straight games and have really struggled against conference opponents this season. UCLA has one of the best teams in the nation and they have already shown this season that they can win by a lot in their road games. Utah is going to continue to struggle in their conference games here. The best bet to place in this game is on UCLA to cover the spread here.
 
UCLA Utah Prediction:  Our NCAAB Pick for Thursday, January 20, 2022 (11:00 pm ET start time) is UCLA 83 Utah 65.
Don't miss our champion handicappers free picks and expert basketball picks today.  And if you enjoyed this UCLA Bruins Utah Utes prediction, be sure to drop by every day for our weekly NCAAB predictions and previews.
 

NCAAB Betting Trends

 
UCLA Bruins: 13-6 ATS after a game where they made 78% of their free throws or better. 22-14 ATS after one or more consecutive overs. 11-5 ATS off a home win against a conference rival. 18-12 ATS off a home win. 29-21 ATS after 1 or more consecutive wins.
Utah Utes: 3-12 ATS after 2 straight games with 12 or less assists. 32-41 ATS in all games. 14-20 ATS as an underdog. 20-29 ATS against conference opponents. 20-29 ATS after a conference game. 12-19 ATS after failing to cover 2 of their last 3 against the spread. 5-15 ATS off a road loss against a conference rival.
 

Key Injuries

 
UCLA Bruins:  J. Jaquez Jr. (G) Ques Fri - Ankle injury. M. Etienne (F) Out indefinitely - Knee injury.
Utah Utes:  B. Carlson (C) Early Feb - Appendix. B. Holt (F) out for season - Knee injury.
 

Notable Quotes

 
"I think what will help us is to run out of a tunnel and play in front of fans. I think it’s hugely demoralizing to our guys to play games in empty arenas when there’s 80,000 people at the Rams game yesterday." - Mick Cronin on his team having to play with no fans from now on.
 
 
“It is really hard to win in the Pac-12. Our margin for error is relatively slim, but we gave ourselves some chances tonight. We just couldn’t pull it off.” - Craig Smith after their loss against ASU.
 
 

Starting Lineups

 
UCLA Bruins
J. Bernard 
T. Campbell 
J. Jaquez 
Myles Johnson 
J. Juzang
 
Utah Utes
M. Anthony 
R. Battin 
B. Carlson 
D. Jenkins Jr. 
Rollie Worster
 

Statistical Leaders

 
UCLA Bruins
PPG: J. Juzang (17.2)
APG: T. Campbell (4.5)
Reb/G: M. Johnson (6.1)
 
Utah Utes
PPG: B. Carlson (13.3)
APG: R. Worster (3.1)
Reb/G: M. Anthony (7.1)
 
Coaches:
UCLA Bruins: Mick Cronin (3rd season)
Utah Utes: Craig Smith (1st season)


Amedeus Mastrangelo

About the Author:

Amedeus Mastrangelo has been heavily wagering on all sports for years and plays just about everything, including sides, totals, favorites, underdogs, against the spread, alternative spreads, first half, second half, player props, and futures. The bottom line is, if Mastrangelo can see an edge in any way shape or form, then he's going to take advantage.

All photographic images used for editorial content have been licensed from the Associated Press.

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