Once Upon A Time in America Betting Show
UCLA Bruins (12-2) vs. Washington Huskies (9-5)
The college basketball betting action continues on New Year’s Day with the UCLA Bruins taking on the Washington Huskies in the Pac-12 Conference showdown at Alaska Airlines Arena in Seattle, Washington.
The tip-off is set for 7:00 PM ET. The Bruins open as firm road favorites and shoot for their seventh consecutive victory over the Huskies.
The UCLA Bruins (12-2; 8-6 ATS) are coming off Friday’s 67-66 victory at the Washington State Cougars. They failed to cover an 8.5-point spread, extending their SU winning streak to nine games. The Bruins trailed the Cougars almost the entire game but managed to escape with a victory thanks to their defense. UCLA yielded just four points in the last 7:23 of the second half, while freshman forward Adem Bona made the winning layup with 19 seconds left on the clock.
Bona finished with seven points, seven rebounds, three steals, and a couple of blocks. Senior guard Jaime Jaquez Jr. led the way for the Bruins with 20 points and eight rebounds, while fellow senior G Tyger Campbell had 16 points and a couple of dishes. The Bruins made just 36.2% of their field goals (4- for-11 from deep) and posted a 5/6 assist-to-turnover ratio.
“We didn't give up, so you have to give the guys credit. We hung in there, our defense got better as the game went on. Last four minutes of the first half, that got us back in the game.”
Coach Cronin, speaking after UCLA's 67-66 win pic.twitter.com/m7y7z7PzcF
— UCLA Men's Basketball (@UCLAMBB) December 31, 2022
UCLA is No. 11 in the latest AP Top 25 Poll. The Bruins are No. 6 in the NCAA NET Rankings and No. 4 in the KenPom rankings, scoring 116.4 points per 100 possessions (6th in the country) and surrendering 89.3 in return (12th). They are second in the nation in 2-pointers made (25.2 per game) and seventh in turnovers (9.8). Four Bruins average north of 10.0 points per game including Jaquez Jr. (17.2 PPG, 6.3 RPG).