An old Pac-12 rivalry is renewed as the Arizona State Sun Devils face the UCLA Bruins at Pauley Pavilion at 10:30 p.m. ET. UCLA has a record of 35-14 and has won the last four matchups against ASU. This is the first meeting between the two teams since March 2024. ASU is 9-2 to start the season, while UCLA has a record of 7-3. UCLA has also won five straight games against ASU in Los Angeles. ASU’s last victory against UCLA at Pauley Pavilion was in January 2019.
UCLA is a -8.5-point favorite against ASU, with the game’s over/under being 145.5 on DraftKings Sportsbook. Here is my best bet for tonight’s Arizona State vs. UCLA matchup.
Arizona State vs. UCLA (10:30 p.m. ET)
UCLA is coming off an 82-72 loss against Gonzaga on December 13 and is 2-2 in their previous four games. The Bruins have a balanced offensive attack, with five players averaging double-digit points per game. Tyler Bilodeau leads the team in scoring with 16.6 points while shooting 40.6 percent on three-pointers. Skyy Clark, Donovan Dent, and Eric Dailey Jr. create an excellent trio for the Bruins in the backcourt.
ASU has won seven of its previous eight contests and is coming off an 82-79 victory against Santa Clara. The Sun Devils average only 80.7 points per game, but that is still four more than UCLA. Maurice Odum is ASU’s leading scorer with 16.7 per contest. One of the three Sun Devils averaging double-digit points per game is freshman Massamba Diop, who is totaling 12.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks.
This should be a low-scoring game with two good defensive teams. UCLA has the better all-around roster, but ASU has displayed toughness and heart that should translate in this matchup. ASU has covered the spread of +8.5 in six of its last 10 games against UCLA. If ASU can contain Clark and Dent, they will have a great chance in this game. That is because Dent has scored 11, three, and 12 points in their three losses, while Clark has recorded nine, seven, and eight points in those games.
