The UCLA Bruins host the No. 10 Illinois Fighting Illini on Saturday night in a Big Ten college basketball matchup. The game tips off at 8 p.m. ET in Los Angeles, California.
The Fighting Illini are listed as 6.5-point favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook, with the total set at O/U 146.5 points. Below is my full preview, prediction, and pick for this Big Ten college basketball matchup.
UCLA vs. Illinois prediction, preview
Illinois is playing at an incredibly high level. Brad Underwood has turned this into one of the most consistent programs in the country, and this might be one of his best teams ever. Illinois has not lost a game in regulation this calendar year. The Fighting Illini have won 14 of their past 16 games, and both of the losses during that stretch came in overtime. The two overtime losses were against tough competition as well, coming at the hands of Wisconsin and Michigan State. Their last loss in regulation was against Nebraska on December 13. All five of their losses this season have come to teams currently in the top 25, so Illinois does not take nights off against lesser competition. That is bad news for UCLA.
UCLA is in a bit of a crisis at the moment. The Bruins have lost back-to-back games, albeit against great competition, Michigan and Michigan State. The more concerning part is the behavior of head coach Mick Cronin. Cronin ejected one of his own players from the game against Michigan State. Steven Jamerson II fouled a Michigan State player on a breakaway dunk in the final minutes of a blowout loss. It was called a standard foul on the floor, but Cronin took his player out of the game, grabbed him by the jersey and sent him back to the locker room. On replay, it’s clear that it was not a dirty play, and Cronin ended up going on a four-minute rant apologizing to the player and discussing the current state of his team. Things seem to be a mess at UCLA as it looks to get back to winning ways to make the NCAA Tournament.
UCLA vs. Illinois pick
My best bet for this game is for Illinois to cover as 6.5-point favorites. The Fighting Illini do not slip up against bad opponents. They have only lost to teams currently in the Top 25. Not only are they not losing, but they have been decimating teams as of late. Their last three wins have come by 40 points against Northwestern, by 20 against Indiana and by 36 against USC. The Fighting Illini are staying out on the West Coast after playing USC on Wednesday night, so the typical travel advantage UCLA would have for a game like this is also much less dramatic. Illinois is at the peak of its powers at the moment, while UCLA is in a bad way. The Fighting Illini should dominate this game and cover the 6.5-point spread.
