UCLA vs Oregon College Basketball Preview

COVID-19 has wreaked havoc all across the college basketball landscape in recent weeks and no team may have been more affected than the UCLA men’s team. The Bruins were shelved for 26 days, with six of their games getting canceled due to the Omicron virus, but since returning the court last week the team has picked up right where left off, beating Long Beach State and California handily to improve to 10-1 and climb two spots in the AP Poll to No. 3.

The Bruins look to keep the momentum going tonight when the Oregon Ducks (9-6 overall, 2-2 in Pac 12 play) come to town for a 9:30 p.m. ET tip off at Pauley Pavillion where fans will not be allowed in the arena. UCLA is listed as a 10.5 point home favorite with an over/under 142 points at Wager6.ag, where you can receive a 200% Cash Bonus.

UCLA has been especially efficient on the offensive end all season, but even more so since they returned from the unscheduled break in their schedule. The team now has three players averaging double figures, led by Johnny Juzang with 16 points per game. With that kind of balance on offense, expect the Ducks to have trouble containing the Bruins tonight on the offensive end since they rank just 137th in the nation in points allowed per game (68.3) and 270th in opponent field goal percentage (45.5%). UCLA should also get some great open looks from Area Code 3 as they rank in the top 20 in the country in three-point shooting, while OU is 154th in the country at defending shots outside the arc.

The major problem for Oregon tonight is going to be trying to keep pace with the Bruins because if they fall behind it will be a long night for this Ducks team that ranks 292nd in the country in possessions per game and is averaging just 71.3 points per game, which ranks 135th in the nation. The Ducks are 3-10 ATS in their last 13 games overall, including an 0-5 mark at the betting window when playing on the road and we don’t see any reason to buck those trends tonight.

UCLA has the better offense and should also dominate the boards tonight, which will lead to an easy home victory. Lay the points with the Bruins, who have covered 17 of their last 30 as a home chalk while the home team has covered four of the last five in this Pac 12 series.