The Long Beach State Beach (1-0) and No. 7 UCLA Bruins (1-0) clash in a southern California showdown Friday. The opening tip at Pauley Pavilion will be at 11 p.m. ET (Pac-12 Network). Below, we analyze Tipico Sportsbook’s lines around the Long Beach State vs. UCLA odds, and make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and bets.
Long Beach State opened its season Monday with a 79-64 victory over Cal Baptist. The Beach shot 50.8% from the floor and had 9 players score 5-plus' points. LBSU will be looking to avoid what happened last season, when it won its opener and then dropped 4 in a row. That losing streak began with a 100-79 setback against the UCLA Bruins (Nov. 15).
The Bruins lifted the lid on their 2022-23 campaign with a 76-50 win over Sacramento State Monday (covering a 25.5-point spread). Junior G Jaylen Clark led a contingent of 5 UCLA players to score in double figures. Clark, who averaged 6.7 points per game last season, erupted for 17 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists.