Wash v. UCLA Picks: Over Worth a Look?
Two talented teams collide when the Washington Huskies visit the UCLA Bruins in what promises to be an intriguing Pac-12 game on Saturday night.
Here’s a complete preview, including betting odds and free NCAA Basketball picks.
Washington Huskies vs. UCLA Bruins
Saturday, February 19, 2022 – 10:00 PM EST at Pauley Pavilion
Can Washington Keep Up With UCLA?
UCLA opened at -17 at BetOnline and this sportsbook set the total at 139 in their NCAA Basketball odds board. Should we back the road team catching so many points or hammer this relatively low total?
Washington (13-11 SU and ATS) has lost three of their last four games, including Thursday’s 79-69 road setback at No. 17 USC, though they covered as 12-point underdogs. Terrell Brown Jr. had a monster game with 23 points, six assists, five rebounds and five steals and Emmitt Matthews Jr. added 20 points, seven rebounds and three assists but Washington was just 6 of 16 (37.5 percent) from 3-point range and they missed six free-throws.
They need to improve their shot selection, especially to start the game and do a better job at the charity stripe or it could be costly against UCLA. “It’s hard playing from behind,” Matthews said after the game. “You’re just trying to get stops, and you just try to tie a group of stops together. You can only go one possession at a time. You can’t rush.”
UCLA (18-5 SU, 11-11-1 ATS) has lost three of their last five games but they’re coming off a convincing 76-56 home win against Washington State last Thursday. Tyger Campbell, who exploded for 27 points on Saturday’s 67-64 road loss against USC, was benched due to a violation of team rules, which led to Jaylen Clark getting a rare start and he made the most of it, finishing with a career-high 18 points and 11 rebounds to go along with five assists and four steals. Johnny Juzang led UCLA with 19 points, despite being on the bench most of the first half due to foul trouble.
Prediction
UCLA made 10 of 20 3-point shots against Washington State. This marked only the fourth time this season and first in conference play that they reached double digits from distance. “It’s nice to finally knock down some open looks,” UCLA head coach Mick Cronin said after game.
The UCLA Bruins might regress from beyond the arc on Saturday but the Washington Huskies rank just 171st in the nation, allowing opponents to shoot 33.3 percent from 3-point range and Tyger Campbell (plus-7.2 Box Plus/Minus) will be back in the starting lineup. Also, Johnny Juzang won’t be in foul trouble for most of the first half again. Having said all that, the total has gone Over in Washington’s last six games and in three of UCLA’s last four games and the Huskies won’t likely miss so many free-throws again. I’ll sprinkle some money on the Over and enjoy this great Pac-12 game.
NCAA Basketball Pick: Over 139 at BetOnline (visit BMR’s BetOnline Review)