UCLA Bruins vs. Ohio State Buckeyes 12/22/18, Prediction & Odds

Bruins vs. Buckeyes Prediction

The 15th-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes will look to continue their stellar season at home today versus the UCLA Bruins. Is a bet on Ohio State to win and cover the spread the right way to go this afternoon?

Game Snapshot

687 UCLA Bruins at 688 Ohio State Buckeyes

Saturday, December 22, 2018

United Center at 3PM ET

TV: CBS

Compare odds from multiple different online sportsbooks and shop for the best lines at our College Basketball Odds & Betting Page.

 

Public Betting Information

According to oddsmakers at BetNow.eu, the Buckeyes are a 5.5-point favorite on the spread line. The total is set at 142.5 points. As of Saturday morning, 87 percent of public bets are pouring in on Ohio State. Check out our College Basketball Public Betting Page for the latest information.

Bruins blown out at Cincinnati

UCLA was crushed by the host Bearcats Wednesday night by a count of 93-64. The Bruins (7-3) trailed 48-31 at halftime en route to the defeat. Kris Wilkes paced UCLA with 21 points on 6-of-12 shooting including 5-of-8 on 3-point tries in 34 minutes. Moses Brown tallied 12 points, six rebounds and three blocked shots. Cody Riley added 11 points and 10 boards. The Bruins shot 21-of-52 in the contest and 9-of-26 at the free throw line.

Buckeyes ease past Youngstown State

Ohio State improved to 10-1 on the season Tuesday night with a 75-56 home win over the Penguins. Kaleb Wesson led the Buckeyes (10-1) with a career-best 31 points to go with seven rebounds and three assists. C.J. Jackson registered 11 points, seven boards and seven dimes. Luther Muhammad added 11 points plus four rebounds, two assists and two steals. Ohio State outscored YSU 53-31 in the second half after a rough first 20 minutes. The Buckeyes shot 26-of-56 from the floor, but only 5-of-19 from 3-point distance.

College Basketball Betting Trends

UCLA

The Bruins are 2-6 ATS in their last eight games overall. UCLA is 5-2 in its last seven games versus the Big Ten.

Ohio State

The Buckeyes are 2-5 ATS in their last seven Saturday games. Ohio State is 6-23 ATS in its last 29 neutral court games.

Prediction:

The lone setback for OSU is a 72-62 home setback versus Syracuse, with the Buckeyes holding four wins over top-100 teams. UCLA certainly falls into the top-100 category and I think the Bruins will be feisty here after losing their last two including the debacle Wednesday night. This game should go down to the wire and I like the 5.5-point cushion given to UCLA. The Bruins have lost some tough games this season and are battle-tested, which will show here.

 

NCAA DAILY PREDICTION: UCLA BRUINS +5.5