The No. 2 seed UCLA Bruins continue their quest for a 12th national title when they face the third-seeded Gonzaga Bulldogs on Thursday in a Sweet 16 matchup in the West Region of the 2023 NCAA Tournament. UCLA, which won its record 11th championship in 1995, is making its third straight Sweet 16 appearance after defeating Northwestern 68-63 on Saturday. Gonzaga, which lost to Arkansas at this stage last year after reaching the final in 2021, edged TCU 84-81 in the second round.
Tipoff at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nev. is scheduled for 9:45 p.m. ET on CBS. The Bruins are 1-point favorites in the latest UCLA vs. Gonzaga odds from Caesars Sportsbook, while the over/under for total points scored is 145. (See up-to-date odds for every game this week on our college basketball odds page.)
Before making any Gonzaga vs. UCLA picks, or NCAA Tournament selections, you need to check out the college basketball predictions from the SportsLine Projection Model.
The model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. It enters the Sweet 16 round of the 2023 NCAA Tournament 83-54 on all-top rated college basketball picks this season, returning more than $1,500 for $100 players. It also went 4-1 on top-rated picks during the first week of March Madness. Anyone who has followed it has seen HUGE returns.
The model knows Jaime Jaquez Jr. led UCLA in the win against Northwestern with 24 points on 11-of-19 shooting and also grabbed a team-high eight rebounds. The senior guard, who leads the Bruins with averages of 17.5 points and 8.1 boards, has scored in double figures in 12 consecutive contests and 33 of 36 this season. Freshman guard Amari Bailey also had a strong game against the Wildcats, going 5-for-7 from the field en route to 14 points while adding six assists and four rebounds.
But the model also knows Gonzaga trailed TCU by five points at halftime before putting together a 51-point second half to advance to the Sweet 16 for the eighth straight time. Drew Timme was a force in the comeback, scoring 17 of his game-high 28 points after intermission and finishing with eight rebounds. The senior forward is 14th in the nation with an average of 21.1 points and tops the Bulldogs with 7.3 boards and 3.2 assists per contest.
Now, the model has set its sights on UCLA vs. Gonzaga. We can tell you the model is leaning Over on the point total, and it also says one side of the spread hits in almost 60% of simulations! You ABSOLUTELY need to see the model before locking in any college basketball picks.
Who wins UCLA vs. Gonzaga? And which side of the spread covers almost 60% of the time? ... Join SportsLine right now to find out which side of the Gonzaga vs. UCLA spread you should be all over Thursday, all from the model on a roll on college basketball picks!
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