UCLA at Illinois odds, picks and predictions
Skip Snow
USA TODAY Sports
The UCLA Bruins (18-6, 9-4 Big Ten) visit the Illinois Fighting Illini (16-8, 8-6) in a Tuesday tussle in Champaign. The opening tip at the State Farm Center will be at 8 p.m. ET (Peacock). Let's analyze BetMGM Sportsbook's college basketball odds around the UCLA vs. Illinoisodds, and make our expert college basketball picks and predictions.
UCLA endured a rough stretch before and after the New Year, but the Bruins have rebounded with 7 straight wins since Jan. 17. Rate stats indicate that UCLA forces more turnovers than any team in the nation, and the Bruins forced 17 in their last game, a 78-54 triumph covering a 10.5-point spread vs. the Penn State Nittany Lions on Saturday. UCLA heads into Tuesday's game with a 3-0-1 mark against the spread (ATS) over its last 4 games.
Illinois also covered the number in a Saturday game. The favored-by-7 Illini routed the Minnesota Golden Gophers 95-74 to snap a 3-game road losing streak. A well-rounded up-tempo team, Illinois had shot just 41.1% in going 3-5 over its previous 8 games. But UI shot a season-high 63.2% against the Gophers.
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UCLA at Illinois odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 12:02 a.m. ET.
Moneyline: UCLA +195 (bet $100 to win $195) | Illinois -235 (bet $235 to win $100)
UCLA +195 (bet $100 to win $195) | Illinois -235 (bet $235 to win $100) Against the spread (ATS): UCLA +5.5 (-105) | Illinois -5.5 (-115)
UCLA +5.5 (-105) | Illinois -5.5 (-115) Over/Under (O/U): 149.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
UCLA at Illinois picks and predictions
Prediction
Illinois 80, UCLA 73
No interest. PASS.
UCLA has gone 1-4 ATS across its last 5 road games.
The Bruins have a tremendous defense, but look for Illinois' speed and 3s to be a problem for the visiting team in this one. UCLA's troubles began during a spate of contests against the Big Ten's fastest teams. KenPom pegs the Illini's adjusted tempo as 13th in the nation, fastest in the circuit.
And Illinois is a high-frequency 3-point squad. The Illini went 9 of 16 from distance in their last game. Across their 10 previous games, they have shot just 24.7%; across 7 games before that they shot 36.8%. Look for Illinois to make some gains on a shaky season number of 31.3%.
The Illinois defense excels in forcing suboptimum looks from the field. The Illini are the better rebounding team in this matcup, and they figure to win the battle in pursuing the most looks at the free-throw line.
ILLINOIS -5.5 (-115) is the leverage side here.
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This is a pace clash with ultra-slow UCLA (KenPom No. 304 in tempo) visiting ultra-fast Illinois. And in past performances of like games for both sides, the Over has been prevailing at a hefty clip and with impressive margins.
Look for a lot of rim-and-3 action in a game that pushes UCLA late. And the Bruins excel in the turnover-fed transition game. BACK THE OVER 149.5 (-110).
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