College basketball picks: Colorado-UCLA prediction, odds, spread in Pac-12 Tournament

The UCLA Bruins quest to bring a championship to Westwood starts Thursday when they face off against the Colorado Buffaloes in Las Vegas in the second round of the Pac-12 Tournament. The game tips off at 3 p.m. ET, and is available on the Pac-12 Network.

Let's take a look at the odds and lines on DraftKings Sportsbook and make some picks.

Colorado vs. UCLA odds in Pac-12 Tournament

Spread: UCLA -9
Over/Under: 132.5
Moneyline: UCLA -460, Colorado +370

The two teams are facing off two weeks after UCLA beat Colorado 60-56 to claim the PAC-12 regular season title. The Bruins are led on offense by Pac-12 Player of the Year Jamie Jaquez, while point guard Tyger Campbell provides one of the steadiest hands in the nation. That said, UCLA's depth took a blow last week when Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year Jaylen Clark suffered a season-ending achilles injury against Arizona.

The Buffaloes are also entering short-handed, as starting guard KJ Simpson will be out for the duration of the Pac-12 tournament after being diagnosed with mono. Along with being tied for the team lead at 15.9 points per game, Simpson also averaged a team-high 3.8 assists per game.

The Pick Over 132.5

UCLA should still take home the win, but Clark's absence will loom large on the defensive end. Simpson's absence will obviously limit Colorado's offense, but the Buffaloes still have forward Tristan da Silva (16 PPG), who should benefit from Clark's absence. Although the two teams only combined for 116 points in their matchup earlier this year, I'm betting on today's game being a shootout thanks to the tournament setting and both teams being compromised on defense.

  
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