The Pac-12 tournament has reached the semifinal round, and the first matchup of the night Friday features the 4th-seeded Oregon Ducks (19-13) versus the top-seeded UCLA Bruins (28-4). This game will be played at the T-Mobile Center, with tipoff scheduled for 9:pm ET.
The Bruins are the favorites in this one. They are -250 to win, while the Ducks’ moneyline sits at +202. The spread features Oregon as 5.5-point underdogs (-102), and the over/under for total points is 134.5 (-110).
Oregon Hopes To Finally Take Down The Bruins
These two teams squared off twice this season, with the Bruins winning both of them. On Friday, they will try to finally take down the giant that is Oregon as they hope to advance to the Pac-12 championship.
Offensively, Oregon ranks 170th in the nation in scoring, averaging 71 points per game. Head coach Dana Altman’s squad is led by senior center N’Faly Dante, who is averaging 13.5 points per game on 62.3% shooting.
He is also averaging 8.2 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per night.
The Ducks have two others averaging double digits in Jermaine Couisnard (13 points, 2.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists) and Will Richardson (12.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 5.2 assists).
On the defensive side, Oregon is much better. They rank 68th in the country in scoring defense, allowing opponents an average of just 66.7 points per game.
UCLA Looks To Keep Streak Alive
At 28-4 overall, the Bruins have had a fantastic season, but they have been especially hot down the stretch. They come into this game having won 11 in a row and will look to continue that streak on Friday.
UCLA is absolutely elite on the defensive end. They rank fifth in the nation in scoring defense, allowing opponents just 60.1 points per game.
They aren’t too shabby on the offensive side, either. They rank 95th overall, averaging 74.2 points per game.
Senior guard Jaime Jaquez Jr has been sensational this season, averaging 17.5 points, eight rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 1.5 steals per game.
Jaylen Clark (13 points, six rebounds, 2.6 steals), Tyger Campbell (12.9 points, 2.5 rebounds, 4.7 assists), Amari Bailey (9.6 points, 3.5 rebounds, two assists), and David Singleton (9.4 points, 2.8 rebounds) have also been solid this year for the Bruins.
Take UCLA To Win And Cover
In the two matchups between Oregon and UCLA this season, the Bruins won by over 5.5 points (65-56 and 70-63). Expect that trend to continue in this one as the Bruins’ defense is just too good for Oregon to overcome, especially with the pressure of a trip to the Pac-12 championship on the line.
The Ducks will also have their hands full on the defensive side. Jaime Jaquez Jr has really turned it on down the stretch, scoring 20 or more points in six of his last seven games. The last time these two met up, he went for 25 points and 12 rebounds in the Bruins’ win.
Oregon has had a nice run to this point, but take UCLA to both win and to cover the 5.5 point spread (-120) Friday night.
