It’s difficult to recall a college basketball season with more legitimate national title contenders. With that being said, #2 Michigan (23-1, 13-1) is in a class of its own. The Wolverines possess an average scoring margin of +22.0, highest in the nation. Now, they’ll attempt to continue that success at home vs. UCLA (17-7, 9-4). The Bruins, under head coach Mick Cronin, will hope to earn a massive resume-booster in Ann Arbor.
Michigan enters this afternoon as 15.5-point favorites (-115) over UCLA. The total is set at 151.5 points on DraftKings Sportsbook. Here’s a college basketball pick, preview and prediction for Saturday’s game between the Bruins and Wolverines.
UCLA vs. Michigan prediction, preview
As things stand, UCLA is on track for a return trip to the NCAA Tournament. With that being said, nothing is guaranteed at this point in the season. Cronin’s crew, as is usually the case, loves to slow things down. The Bruins are giving up 69.8 points per game, sixth-lowest in the Big Ten. In addition, they’re operating at a 65.2 adjusted tempo, 301st out of 365 Division I schools on KenPom.
A significant factor in favor of the Bruins is their experience. Six of the team’s top seven scorers are upperclassmen. Senior Tyler Bilodeau has led the way, putting up 18.3 points and 5.6 rebounds per game. He’s joined by several other quality scorers, such as Donovan Dent (13.7 PPG) and Trent Perry (12.6 PPG). Unfortunately for UCLA, Skyy Clark remains unlikely to suit up tonight. The guard hasn’t taken the floor since January 3rd.
The Bruins aren’t the biggest team, only hauling in 32.9 rebounds per game. That’s tied the fourth-lowest mark among all Big Ten schools. That could prove disastrous going into this matchup. Michigan certainly isn’t lacking in size, wielding three talented big men in Yaxel Lendeborg, Morez Johnson and UCLA transfer Aday Mara. The first of the three has been a monster all season for the Wolverines. Over 24 games, he’s accounted for 14.3 points, 7.7 rebounds and 3.2 assists. As for Mara, he’s tallied a conference-leading 2.8 blocks per game.
Michigan has posted a 56.9% total rebounding rate, eighth-highest in all of college basketball. In comparison, UCLA’s 70.1% defensive rebounding rate is 244th in college basketball. It’s not as if UM’s frontcourt is the only cause for concern in this matchup. Guards Trey McKenney and Elliot Cadeau are savvy, experienced play makers, combining for 20.1 points, 5.6 rebounds and 6.5 assists per game. Eight different players on this team have accounted for at least 7.7 points per game.
UCLA vs. Michigan pick, best bet
UCLA comes into this one with momentum, reeling off five wins over its last six games. However, four of those victories came at home, where the Bruins are 14-1. They’ve gone a mediocre 3-3 on the road so far. An early-morning trip to Ann Arbor is about as difficult as it gets for a West Coast team. When playing at the Crisler Center, Michigan is beating opponents by +27.3 points on average. Even against a quality opponent, I’m expecting another dominant victory for the Wolverines.
