In today’s Pac 12 college basketball matchup, the California Golden Bears are taking on the UCLA Bruins at Pauley Pavilion. Let’s take a look at the top college basketball betting picks and betting trends, then give our California vs UCLA prediction for the game today.
California vs UCLA Game Info
California Golden Bears (9-10, 2-6 Pac 12) vs. UCLA Bruins (14-2, 6-1 Pac 12)
Date: Thursday, January 27, 2022
Time: 9 PM ET
Venue: Pauley Pavilion — Los Angeles, CA
Coverage: PAC12
California vs UCLA College Basketball Betting Picks and Odds
All California vs UCLA college basketball betting odds can be found at BetOnline
Moneyline: CAL: (+890) | UCLA: (-1600)
Point Spread: CAL: +16.5 (-110) | UCLA: -16.5 (-110)
Total: 127 — Over: (-110) | Under: (-110)
California vs UCLA College Basketball Betting Preview
California has had an incredibly bumpy couple of games, losing five straight. In fairness to the Golden Bears, three of those matchups were against Top-10 teams. With that in mind, none of their losses, even those to unranked opponents was exactly close. California has struggled mightily this season to get anything going on offense. Averaging just under 65 points per game, California is ranked 359th in the country. Their poor offense, coupled with a defense that gives up 64.5 points per game has made victories hard to come by in conference play.
This season UCLA returned virtually their entire team from last year that made a Cinderella run to the Final Four. Johnny Juzang averages over 18 points on 46% shooting to lead the Bruins. UCLA has won four straight since dropping to Oregon at home in overtime. Most notably, their most recent win was a 16-point victory over Arizona on Tuesday. UCLA’s full attack was on display, scoring at will and being pesky on defense at all times.
California vs UCLA College Basketball Betting Trends
- California is 13-5 against the spread (ATS) in their last 18 games.
- The total has gone UNDER in eight of California’s last 11 games.
- California is 0-9 straight up in their last 9 games against UCLA.
- The UNDER is 4-1 in UCLA’s last 5 games against California.
- The UNDER is 8-4 in UCLA’s last 12 games.
California vs UCLA Prediction | College Basketball Betting Picks
To put it frankly, California can’t hang with UCLA. The talent is nowhere near close and UCLA is coming off a heck of a win over Arizona brimming with confidence. California doesn’t have anything to lose though which makes a spread of this magnitude tough to touch on either side. It wouldn’t be surprising to see California be outclassed, but it also wouldn’t be surprising to see them keep it within striking distance for longer than people expect.
The last time these two teams matched up, UCLA came out on top 60-52. While that would point to hitting the under on this game, it’s important to remember that the two teams combined to shoot five for 32 from behind the arc (15.6%). With both offenses likely able to shoot more efficiently, it shouldn’t be too much to expect the over to hit with such a low line.
Our college basketball betting California vs UCLA prediction tonight will be OVER hits at BetOnline.
For what it’s worth, the ESPN Matchup Predictor gives UCLA a 95.1% chance to win.
All college basketball betting lines were retrieved from BetOnline. Click below to claim a free bet, if you’re a new customer.
