The second matchup on tonight’s slate, featuring two top-25 teams, is the No. 5 Arizona Wildcats vs. the No. 22 UCLA Bruins at 10:00 p.m. ET. This historic rivalry dates back to their days in the Pac-12, and UCLA leads the all-time series 64-51. Although the Bruins have the edge, the Wildcats have had the advantage recently, going 7-3 in their previous 10 matchups. This game is at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
On DraftKings Sportsbook, Arizona is a -4.5-point favorite, while UCLA is a +170 underdog. The over/under is 149.5 points, with the under at -112 and the over at -108. Check out my best bet and preview for tonight’s game between the Arizona Wildcats and the UCLA Bruins.
Arizona vs. UCLA prediction, preview
Arizona and UCLA meeting in Las Vegas is nothing new for these two programs. They have faced each other seven previous times in Sin City. Arizona holds a 5-2 record over UCLA and has won the previous five games against the Bruins in Vegas. Since Arizona joined the Big 12 and UCLA moved to the Big Ten, they are 1-1 against each other, meeting once in each of the previous two years.
After a 25-year wait, Arizona returned to the Final Four last season. It was a historic season for the Wildcats as they finished 36-3, the best record in program history. But in the offseason, Arizona lost six of its top eight players, forcing Tommy Lloyd to reload the roster. Lloyd did that by bringing in the 11th-best recruiting class (according to 247Sports), led by five-star prospect Caleb Holt and four-star Cameron Holmes. In the transfer portal, Arizona added three four-star players, RJ Godfrey (Clemson), Derek Dixon (North Carolina), and JJ Mandaquit (Washington). Currently, Godfrey is still ineligible as he’s in an ongoing legal battle. Arizona’s focal point this season will be its top two returners, Mo Krivas and Ivan Kharchenkov, who both played major roles on Arizona’s Final Four team.
Arizona went 3-0 in exhibition games, beating San Francisco, San Diego State, and Eastern Washington. Although Krivas and Kharchenkov both averaged 10.4 points per game last season, they showed their upside and improvements in the exhibition games. Even though Holt is a freshman, he looks anything but a first-year college player on the floor. He scored 17, 15, and 21 points in the three exhibition games.
Meanwhile, UCLA is coming off back-to-back second-round appearances in March Madness. UCLA lost their top two scorers from last season, Tyler Bilodeau (17.6 PPG) and Donovan Dent (13.3 PPG). Trent Perry and Eric Dailey Jr. are the Bruins’ two best returning players from last season’s team. UCLA Head Coach Mick Cronin added four freshmen and four transfers this offseason, giving them the No. 20 recruiting class on 247Sports. Two four-star transfers, Jaylen Petty from Texas Tech and Filip Jovic from Auburn, are in line for big roles this season.
Arizona vs. UCLA pick, best bet
Although both teams lost key players, Arizona returns with a much more complete roster than UCLA. Having two of the best veterans in the sport, with Kharchenkov and Krivas in addition to Holt, Dixon, Mandaquit, and Holmes, gives the Wildcats the edge in this matchup. Krivas, at 7’2″, should be able to assert his dominance over the smaller Xavier Booker, 6’11”. Eight of Arizona’s previous 10 victories over UCLA have come by at least five points. Also, four of Arizona’s last five wins over UCLA in Vegas have come by five-plus points.
