UCLA Bruins vs Arizona Wildcats Predictions, Picks, Odds, and NCAA Basketball Betting Preview – March 9, 2018

The UCLA Bruins and the Arizona Wildcats will lock horns Friday night, as they battle for one of the spot in the Pac-12 Tournament Finals. Read on for a preview of this intriguing matchup below. Register here to wager on your pick.

Betting Preview for the UCLA Bruins vs. Arizona Wildcats College Basketball Pac-12 Game on March 9, 2018

Where: T-Mobile Arena, Nevada

When: Friday, March 9, 9:00 PM ET

Line: UCLA Bruins (n/a) vs. Arizona Wildcats (n/a) – view all NCAA Basketball lines

TV Broadcast: ESPN

Betting on the UCLA Bruins (21-10)

The Bruins punched their tickets to the semifinals of the Pac-12 tourney thanks to a huge 88-77 win over Stanford Thursday. The Bruins have been scoring well of late, as they have put up at least 83 points in three of their past five games. They could have that type of night again Friday against Arizona’s so-so defense. The Bruins shown they could bull their way against Arizona when they defeated the Wildcats in Tucson on Feb. 8, 82-74. UCLA shot the ball well in that game, making 51.6 percent of their shots, while their frenetic defense caused Arizona to throw a ton of bricks. Aaron Holiday had 17 points in that game, and he is going to be relied upon by the Bruins to deliver the goods. Holiday is pacing his team with 20.1 points per game.  UCLA is 7-3 ATS in its last 10 games against Arizona dating back to 2014.

Betting on the Arizona Wildcats (25-7)

At this point of the season, everyone will just have to agree that DeAndre Ayton is an unfair luxury for the Wildcats. Ayton, probably this year’s top pick in the NBA Draft, did not have a strong outing, however, on Thursday, when Arizona downed Colorado in the Pac-12 Tournament quarterfinals, 83-67, as he only had 10 points and six boards. That being said, it’s hard to count against Ayton putting up a strong performance in the semis against UCLA, especially when considering his output the last time he faced the Bruins. Ayton had 16 points and 12 rebounds, albeit in a losing effort against UCLA. It was a rare salty shooting night for the Wildcats, though, as they went just 43.9 percent from the floor. They are shooting over 50 percent from the field this season, and UCLA isn’t particularly a defensive powerhouse, so expect the Wildcats to put on a better offensive show this Friday. The Wildcats are scoring 81.1 points per game.

Writer’s Prediction

Arizona wins, 80-75.

1,508 total views