The No. 18 Wisconsin Badgers (15-3, 5-2 Big Ten) look to keep a seven-game winning streak alive when they visit the UCLA Bruins (12-6, 3-4 Big Ten) on Tuesday night.
UCLA snapped a four-game winning streak over the weekend with a blowout victory over Iowa, but are the Bruins really back? We take a look in my preview and Wisconsin vs. UCLA predictions.
Check out my college basketball picks for Tuesday, January 21 to find out.
Wisconsin vs UCLA prediction
My best bet
Over 140.5 (-110 at bet365)
My analysis
The Wisconsin Badgers have been on a hot streak, racking up seven straight wins to shoot up the Big Ten standings. A strong offense has been the calling card for Greg Gard’s team — the Badgers rank 11th in adjusted offensive efficiency and rack up 82.4 ppg.
John Tonje has been the go-to guy for much of the year. The Colorado State transfer leads the team with 17.2 ppg but was held scoreless in Saturday’s 84-69 win over USC due to foul trouble.
Sophomore John Blackwell has emerged as a potent threat, scoring 21 or more points in three of his last five games. The Badgers have proven capable of finding offense whether or not Tonje is at his best, which should help them moving forward.
Wisconsin’s offense will be put to the test against a UCLA Bruins defense ranking 12th in adjusted efficiency. The Bruins have shown signs of weakness there lately, however, surrendering at least 70 points in four straight games.
The Badgers are the nation’s best free-throw shooting team (85.5%) and hit a decent amount of 3-pointers (9.3 per game). UCLA’s defense doesn’t specialize in shutting down either of those looks, so Wisconsin’s offense may continue finding success. The Bruins rank 183rd in free-throw attempt rate and 267th in 3-point attempt rate (per Haslametrics).
On the flip side, the Bruins could find offensive success against a middling Badgers defense ranking 46th in adjusted efficiency. Eric Dailey has returned to health after a facial injury and that’s terrific news for the Bruins, who looked like they fixed some things offensively in a 94-point effort against Iowa on Friday.
Wisconsin has been an Over team all season at 12-6 O/U. If this total feels low, that’s because it is — the Badgers are 6-2 O/U in games with a total of 148.5 or below.
UCLA is still being given a lot of credit by the oddsmakers for its defensive metrics. The Bruins haven’t been as adept there since conference play began and are 5-2 O/U against Big Ten teams after going 2-9 O/U in non-conference play.
Wisconsin vs UCLA same-game parlay (SGP)
Over 140.5
Wisconsin +3.5
I can’t do it with Mick Cronin at UCLA. This team fell apart a year ago with a 16-17 record and just lost five out of six games in a swoon that looked all too familiar to last year.
He’s constantly seen in the media bashing his players for their lack of physicality and resolve, but he’s the one who recruited them. Why is he recruiting players who can’t play how he wants?
The Bruins did get out to an 11-1 start to the year with wins over Oregon and Arizona, and there’s enough talent to have a pretty good year. Was the recent losing stretch a sign of things to come or a small blip in the radar for an overall successful year?
Time will determine that, but I’m not ready to call the Bruins “back” after beating a bad Iowa team that plays no defense and saw its leading scorer get hurt after just seven minutes.
Per BartTorvik, UCLA ranks 70th in adjusted offensive efficiency and 47th in adjusted defensive efficiency during conference play. Those numbers aren’t good enough for me to lay points at home against a surging Wisconsin team
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Wisconsin vs UCLA odds
Wisconsin vs UCLA live odds
Wisconsin vs UCLA opening odds
- Spread: Wisconsin +4 (-110) | UCLA -4 (-110)
- Moneyline: Wisconsin +155 | UCLA -185
- Over/Under: Over 141.5 (-110) | Under 141.5 (-110)
Odds courtesy of bet365
Wisconsin vs UCLA betting trend to know
UCLA is 5-2 O/U in Big Ten Conference play. Find more college basketball betting trends for Wisconsin vs. UCLA. Find more college basketball betting trends for Wisconsin vs. UCLA.
How to watch Wisconsin vs UCLA
| Location: | Pauley Pavilion, Los Angeles, CA |
| Date: | Tuesday, 1-21-2025 |
| Tip-off: | 9:30 p.m. ET |
| TV: | Peacock |
Wisconsin vs UCLA key injuries
Not intended for use in MA.
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