Arizona Wildcats at UCLA Bruins Betting Preview

Saturday will be an important day in the close and competitive Pac-12, including a showdown between the Arizona Wildcats and UCLA Bruins. On the road, Arizona is favored by 2.5 points with an over/under of 137 points.
The Bruins are in an interesting position, as they’ve won six in a row to get to 11-5 in conference play, putting them into a tie with Oregon for first place in the Pac-12. However, they are just 18-11 overall and likely on the outside of the NCAA Tournament picture. UCLA needs to keep on winning if it wants to make it to the Big Dance.
Meanwhile, the Wildcats have likely punched their ticket already despite losing their last two games. Arizona is 19-9 overall but likely out of contention for the Pac-12 regular-season title with a 9-6 in-conference record.
The good news is that the Wildcats have a somewhat favorable schedule late in the season, which should give them a chance to get back on track heading into March.
Something’s Missing
The Wildcats have been led all season by a trio of freshmen. However, one of those freshmen, Josh Green, was missing from their loss Thursday against USC due to a back injury. Green will also miss Saturday’s game, which could spell trouble for Arizona.
The 6-6 wing player averages close to 12 points per game. Without him, the Wildcats were nearly 30 points below their season average in points.
All is not lost for Arizona, as they still have Zeke Nnaji and Nico Mannion, who combine for nearly 30 points per game. However, the Wildcats need to supplement the scoring they won’t get from Green.
Senior Dylan Smith is their option, as he shoots 36% from three-point range and actually averaged 13.5 points per game as a freshman when he was needed more. But he went 1 for 7 from outside against USC, failing to come through when his team needed him.
Same Old Story
Of course, UCLA has had trouble with scoring all season. The Bruins have been forced to rely on their defense this season with Chris Smith their only player who’s averaging double figures in scoring.
Even he’s been a little inconsistent, failing to reach double digits in four of his last eight games. Much like Arizona, UCLA is in need of some of its supplementary players to step up.
Fortunately for the Bruins, some of their freshmen are showing signs of life lately. Jake Kyman is coming off a 21-point effort against Arizona State on Thursday.
Tyger Campbell has recorded back-to-back double-doubles, totaling 25 points and 25 assists over those games. Jaime Jaquez has also started to become a more reliable scorer since the start of conference play.
Staying Hot
With six straight wins, it’d be foolish to bet against the Bruins as home underdogs. Arizona might be a little better, but Thursday’s loss without Green raised some serious concerns. Bet on UCLA to beat Arizona on Saturday despite being the underdog.