UCLA vs Oregon State Picks and Predictions: Bite Your Tongue and Play the Beavers at Home

A year ago, the UCLA Bruins and Oregon State Beavers were the pride of the Pac-12 as they represented their conference with deep NCAA Tournament runs.

Fast forward a year later, and these two teams are in very different places. 

While the Bruins are still elite, Oregon State is dead last in the Pac-12 standings and has lost 13 straight games. Will the Beavers get their mojo back before the season is over?

Check out our college basketball picks and predictions for UCLA vs. Oregon State on Saturday, February 26 to find out.

UCLA vs Oregon State odds

This odds widget represents the best odds available for each betting market from regulated sportsbooks.

UCLA is expected to win this one going away. The Bruins were -15 at open and are -14 as of early Saturday morning. The total is set at 140.5. 

Use the live odds widget above to track any future line movements right up until tip-off and be sure to check out the full college basketball odds before placing your bets.

UCLA vs Oregon State predictions

• Prediction: Oregon State +14.5 (-110)
• Prediction: Over 140.5 (-110)
• Best bet: Oregon State +14.5 (-110)

Predictions made on 2/26/2022 at 12:10 a.m. ET.
Click on each prediction to jump to the full analysis.

UCLA vs Oregon State game info

• Location: Gill Coliseum, Corvallis, OR
• Date: Saturday, February 26, 2022
• Tip-off: 4:00 p.m. ET
• TV: CBS

UCLA at Oregon State betting preview

Injuries

UCLA: Johnny Juzang G (Questionable), Mac Etienne F (Out).
Oregon State : Tre’ Williams G (Questionable), Isaiah Johnson F (Questionable), Gianni Hunt G (Out), Xzavier Malone-Key G (Out), Rodrigue Andela F (Out), Chol Marial C (Out).

Find our latest NCAA basketball injury reports.

Betting trend to know

The Beavers are 1-4 ATS in their last five home games. Find more NCAA betting trends for UCLA vs. Oregon State .

UCLA vs Oregon State picks and predictions

Our predictions are compiled from the analysis of the spread and total and are indications of where we are leaning for this game.
Our best bet is the play that we like the most for this game, which we would actually put some of our bankroll behind.

Spread analysis

Things haven’t been pretty, to say the least, in Corvallis this season. Still, we believe this is a decent spot for the underdog to cover the spread of over two touchdowns.

Anytime we see a spread that high in a conference game, the handicapping starts with the underdog. The Beavers have been downright dreadful from start to finish, beginning the season 1-10 and currently sitting at 3-23 overall. They’ve dropped 13 straight contests and haven’t won a single game since the calendar flipped to the year 2022.

The above reasons explain why we’re getting such a large spread. That being said, the Beavers have been playing better as of late. USC had to empty the gas tank to come away from Corvallis with a win Thursday night in a 94-91 double-overtime game. Oregon State also kept things close against Arizona on February 17, trailing by just two points at halftime before eventually succumbing 83-69.

There are positive signs lately, which is more than can be said for most of the season. All three of the Beavers’ wins have come at Gill Coliseum, and the Bruins are only 6-4 overall on the road this season. The home-court advantage should play a factor, and UCLA may be at slightly below 100% as it’s dealing with multiple nagging injuries and is on two days rest after Thursday’s 68-63 loss to Oregon.

Bruins leading scorer Johnny Juzang has been playing through an ankle injury after falling off a scooter, and Tyger Campbell missed a chunk of Monday’s game against Arizona State with a stinger. 

There’s little motivation for UCLA to pile onto the lead if they go out ahead early. The Bruins have their mind on the Pac-12 tournament and then March Madness afterward. Oregon State has been playing better basketball as of late and hasn’t given up on the season. This is a proud program under Wayne Tinkle that will be hungry for its first win this calendar year. The Beavers may not come away with the upset, but we like them to cover this inflated spread.

Prediction: Oregon State +14.5 (-110)

Over/Under analysis

The Beavers are a very profitable 18-8 to the Over this season, while the Bruins are only 11-15 to the Over.

Oregon State’s leaky defense is primarily to blame, as it ranks a ghastly 294th in KenPom’s adjusted defensive efficiency. The Beavers rank 158th in offensive efficiency, so they could find trouble scoring against KenPom’s ninth-rated defense.

UCLA averages 76.1 points per game and should be able to contribute to the Over. Even though we’re rolling with the Beavers against the spread, we must admit that their defense has been truly dreadful all season long. 

Oregon State has been cashing Over tickets all year and just scored 75 points in regulation against a good USC defense. Both teams should be able to score. Give us the Over.

Prediction: Over 140.5 (-110)

Best bet

It may not be pretty, but we’re taking the underdog against the spread as our best bet.

This line is simply very wide when the underdog is at home and has been showing noticeable signs of improvement as of late. UCLA hasn’t been the death star that many anticipated in the Pac-12 this season and isn’t routinely winning games by margin. While the Beavers aren’t routinely winning anything, we like their chances to cover the spread at home Saturday night.

Pick: Oregon State +14.5 (-110)

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