UCLA vs Arizona Odds, Picks and Predictions: Cats Come to Play

The No. 5 UCLA Bruins (17-2) have won 14 straight games in a display of utter dominance.

Mick Cronin’s squad looks to add a statement win to its already impressive resume in a highly-anticipated showdown with the No.11 Arizona Wildcats (16-3).

Anytime two National Championship contenders meet in the regular season, college basketball fans are in for a treat. Who will win this matchup between two heavyweights?

Check out our college basketball picks and predictions for the UCLA Bruins and Arizona Wildcats below to find out. 

UCLA vs Arizona best odds

UCLA vs Arizona picks and predictions

The UCLA Bruins have been a wagon against the spread this season, posting a 12-7 ATS record while proving proficient on both sides of the ball. The Bruins rank third overall in KenPom, checking in at 12th in adjusted offensive efficiency and fifth in adjusted defensive efficiency.

Veterans Jaimie Jaquez (16.2 ppg), Jaylen Clark (14.0 ppg), and Tyger Campbell (13.8 ppg) provide a steady presence of consistency, while David Singleton (10.8 ppg) is having a late breakout and freshman big Adem Bona (8.3 ppg) continues to be tremendously impressive. 

The Arizona Wildcats are just 7-11-1 ATS this season, but Tommy Lloyd’s squadron is undoubtedly a fearsome bunch. They've posted just a 2-2 record after the turn of the calendar but answered the bell in an 81-66 throttling of USC on Thursday night. Azuolas Tubelis (20.2 ppg) is one of the best players in the country, while fellow big Oumar Ballo (16.1 ppg) has been a nearly-unstoppable force. 

It’s obvious that UCLA will have an advantage in the backcourt, while Arizona is superior in the frontcourt. UCLA only starts one player standing above 6-foot-6 — Bona, who’s been fantastic, but is still a freshman after all. Tubelis (6-foot-11) and Ballo (7-foot) will be fed looks early to both maximize the size advantage mismatch and force Bona into foul trouble.

I believe Arizona’s frontcourt advantage will be gargantuan, and I think it’s the most important factor in this handicap. Lloyd is a bright offensive mind who routinely puts together successful offensive game plans. While UCLA is elite defensively, this is undeniably a difficult matchup and Lloyd should be able to scheme up paint touches for his dominant big men.

UCLA’s perimeter defenders can sell out to clog passing lanes but will leave the guards and wings wide open from deep. For as streaky as Arizona’s backcourt can be, they showed out against USC and should be ready to knock down any easy looks at home in a statement game. 

This game simply means more to Arizona, who — at 5-3 in Pac-12 play — is fighting to stay in the regular season conference race. With pronounced mismatches down low and the bonus of playing at home, this spot screams Arizona as a short dog. 

My best bet: Arizona moneyline (-105 at PointsBet)

UCLA vs Arizona spread analysis

College basketball odds opened this line at UCLA -2.5 before quickly moving in the other direction. At the time of this writing, UCLA ranges from +2 to -1, so be sure to shop around in a game featuring plenty of variation in the market. 

This is a pivotal showdown for Arizona if it wishes to stay in the Pac-12 regular-season race. The Wildcats are just 5-3 in conference play while the Bruins have been dominant at 8-0.

This is assured to be a very fun contest. Arizona’s offense makes any game worth tuning into, as the Wildcats average 84.6 ppg and rank ninth in KenPom’s adjusted offensive efficiency metric. Tubelis and Ballo will be the focal point of the game plan as UCLA has a severe size deficiency in this matchup.

If Cronin chooses to send his perimeter players crashing down to clog lanes and double team when Arizona’s bigs catch the rock in a favorable position, open kick-outs will eventually emerge for the likes of Kerr Kriisa, Courtney Ramey, and Pelle Larsson.

The Wildcats showed renewed defensive effort in the midweek victory over USC, so questions on that side of the ball may or may not be as pressing as they would have seemed about a week ago. 

UCLA vs Arizona Over/Under analysis

This line opened at 153 in most locations before quickly getting steamed down. Currently, the total ranges from 147.5 to 149.5 at most books. 

UCLA has been a money train to the Under, posting a 7-1 record across its last eight games. Thursday night’s game against Arizona State only hit the Over due to a missed shot that was inadvertently tipped into the basket by a defensive player with less than 10 seconds remaining in an already-decided game. 

The Bruins surrender just 59.9 ppg while ranking 68th in field goal defense (41.1%) and 33rd in 3-point defense (29.7%). Offensively, they prefer to play at a snail’s pace, ranking 242nd in KenPom’s adjusted tempo metric.

Arizona is all offense and just some defense, checking in at ninth in adjusted offensive efficiency and 67th in adjusted defensive efficiency. The Wildcats prefer to play at breakneck speed, ranking 11th in adjusted tempo. 

Totals of 153 can still be found in the market, a number at which I would recommend snapping up the Under. That’s not likely to be available for long, however, as this one is moving in a hurry. I wouldn’t go any lower than 149.5 on the Under, which is my preferred play. 

UCLA vs Arizona betting trend to know

The home team is 4-0 ATS in the last four meetings between these two schools. Find more College basketball betting trends for UCLA vs. UCLA.

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