#3 Arizona vs #9 UCLA NCAAB Tournament Championship Odds

#3 Arizona vs #9 UCLA | NCAAB Tournament Championship Odds

The game of the night around college basketball on Tuesday is also the lone 11 p.m. ET tip as No. 3 Arizona visits No. 9 UCLA – although both rankings could change in the new poll Monday. The Bruins will be short home favorites on the NCAAB odds.

How to Bet Arizona at UCLA NCAA Basketball Odds & TV Info

  • When: Tuesday, 11 PM ET
  • Where: Pauley Pavilion
  • TV: ESPN
  • Stream: ESPN app
  • Radio: Tunein.com
  • Opening NCAAB Lines: TBA (UCLA will be favored)

Last Meeting

It’s the first meeting of the year between these schools. They were supposed to play Dec. 30 at UCLA but was postponed for COVID reasons. Last season, UCLA won both. The one in Los Angeles was 74-60. Jaime Jaquez Jr. scored 25 points to lead the Bruins. They got 13 points from Tyger Campbell and 10 points from Cody Riley in beating Arizona for the fifth straight time. UCLA made 9 of 10 shots to start the second half and take a 49-39 lead. The Bruins outscored the Wildcats 19-8, getting six points each from Jaquez and Riley. Arizona missed six of its first nine shots. The Bruins shot 73% from the floor in the second half, making 19 of 26 shots. The Wildcats committed 16 turnovers that led to 18 points for UCLA.

Why Bet on Arizona?

The Wildcats (16-1) come off a 96-71 win at Cal on Sunday. Arizona won handily despite being without second-leading scorer Azuolas Tubelis, who suffered a lower-body injury last Thursday against Stanford. Not clear if he will play here. He is 4th in the Pac-12 in scoring (15.1), 12th in rebounding (6.1) and fifth in FG% (56.9). The Wildcats had a 14-point lead six minutes into the game, were ahead 21 at halftime and led by 29 on the way to their 10th consecutive win over the Bears.

Cal made its best push coming out of halftime and got within 56-40, but Kerr Kriisa made a pair of 3s and Arizona scored 13 straight to pull away. Kriisa’s fourth 3-pointer put the Wildcats ahead 78-49. Big men Christian Koloko and Oumar Ballo combined for 35 points. Koloko collected his fifth double-double of the season with 19 points and a career-high 13 rebounds. All nine Wildcats who took the floor for more than two minutes scored, and five finished with double-digit points.

Koloko ranks 10th in the country in blocks (3.3) while averaging 12.6 points and team-high 6.4 rebounds in conference play. He’s a candidate for not only Defensive Player of the Year but also Most Improved Player after averaging 5.3 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.3 blocks last year. He was 7 of 7 from the floor on his way to 16 points against Utah.

UA leads the nation in scoring margin (24.3), assists per game (21.8), rebounds per game (43.1), avg. possession length (14.4), assist rate (67.2%) and 2-point FG% defense (39.4%). The Cats are in the top 10 nationally in the following categories: scoring offense (2nd), field goal pct. defense (2nd), blocked shots/game (3rd), total assists (3rd), field goal pct. (4th), assist/turnover ratio (7th) and rebound margin (7th)

The Wildcats are off to their best start since winning 21 straight to open the 2013-14 season. This season’s only loss came against then-No. 19 Tennessee on Dec. 22.

Why Bet on UCLA?

The Bruins (13-2) won at Colorado 71-65 on Saturday. Johnny Juzang scored a team-leading 23 points and had six rebounds. Juzang and Jaime Jaquez Jr., who finished the game with 14 points, five rebounds and four assists, were the Bruins’ only players to score in double figures. Juzang scored at least 20 points for the fourth consecutive game.

Leading by a 43-28 margin at halftime, UCLA scored just 12 points through the first 15 minutes of the second half. Colorado reduced the Bruins’ advantage down to one point – at 62-61 with 1:54 to play in regulation – before Tyger Campbell drilled a key 3-point basket at the 1:37 mark. Campbell’s triple put UCLA ahead, 65-61.

The Buffaloes cut UCLA’s lead to 65-63 on a pair of free throws by Evan Battey with 1:14 left in the contest. Through the game’s final 30 seconds, the Bruins made all six of their free throw attempts to preserve the crucial Pac-12 road win.

UCLA ranks No. 1 in the Pac-12 Conference in 3-point FG percentage (35.9%) and No. 2 in assist-turnover ratio (1.54). Campbell ranks No. 3 in the nation in assist-turnover ratio (3.8-to-1). He has become UCLA’s first player since Darren Collison (2006-09) to serve as the team’s primary point guard for three consecutive seasons. From 2011-12 through 2018-19, the Bruins used seven different players who serve as the team’s starting point guard. UCLA ranks No. 1 in the Pac-12 (No. 9, nationally) in fewest turnovers committed per game (9.7).

The Bruins have won 17 of their last 19 home games in Pac-12 play (losses to USC in March of 2021 and Oregon on Jan. 13, 2022). UCLA won its final seven home Pac-12 games in 2019-20, during Coach Mick Cronin’s first season as the Bruins’ head coach. Since the start of the 2016-17 season, the Bruins have registered a Pac-12 record of 63-32. Since the start of the 2019-20 season, UCLA has gone 31-6 in all 37 home contests (Pauley Pavilion). This season, UCLA has compiled 7-1 mark in eight home games.

Expert Prediction

  • UCLA 78, Arizona 76

 

Basketball Betting Center


Updated Basketball Betting Odds! | Betting Lines