It's a battle at the top of the Pac-12 battle on Thursday night when the No. 7 Arizona Wildcats host the third-ranked UCLA Bruins. The teams met Jan. 25 at Pauley Pavilion, and it turned into an easy 75-59 victory for UCLA (16-2, 8-1). Now the Wildcats (17-2, 7-1) are trying to move back to the top of the conference on their home floor at McKale Center.
Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. ET in Tucson, Ariz. The Wildcats are 6.5-point favorites in the latest UCLA vs. Arizona odds from Caesars Sportsbook, and the over-under is set at 149. Before you make any Arizona vs. UCLA picks or predictions, you'll want to see what the SportsLine Projection Model is saying.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. Over the past five-plus years, the proprietary computer model has generated an impressive profit of over $2,400 for $100 players on its top-rated college basketball picks against the spread. Anyone who has followed it has seen HUGE returns.
The simulations also have taken into account that the Wildcats have one of the nation's best offenses and clamps down on opposing shooters. Arizona scores 86 points per game, with three players averaging at least 13 points and six rebounds. The Wildcats have the clear size advantage, with 7-foot-1 Christian Koloko (13 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.2 blocks) at center and 6-11 forward Azuolas Tubelis (14.2 points, 6.1 rebounds). Sophomore guard Bennedict Mathurin is the team's top scorer at 17.2 and also grabs 6.1 boards.
The model has considered that the Bruins score almost 14 more points than they allow and have won six straight. They allowed fewer than 60 points in four of those, including against the Wildcats. UCLA has four top-tier guards who score in double figures. Tyger Campbell (11.1 points, 4.5 assists) does it all, while Johnny Juzang (18.1 points) is the top scorer and helps Jules Bernard (13.2) and Jaime Jaquez (12.3) on the boards. Juzang should be back from COVID and the team hopes Jaquez returns from an ankle injury.
The model has simulated Thursday's UCLA vs. Arizona matchup 10,000 times, and the results are in. We can tell you that the model is leaning Under the total, and it also has generated a point-spread pick that is hitting in well over 50 percent of simulations.
So who wins UCLA vs. Arizona? And which side of the spread hits well over 50 percent of the time? Join SportsLine right now to see which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the computer model that has crushed its college basketball picks.
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