UCLA at Purdue odds, picks and predictions
The UCLA Bruins (20-8, 11-6 Big Ten) and the No. 19 Purdue Boilermakers (19-9, 11-6) meet Friday at Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Ind. Tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET (FOX). Let's analyze BetMGM Sportsbook's college basketball odds around the Rutgers vs. Michigan odds, and make our expert college basketball picks and predictions.
The Bruins are coming off a 69-61 win over the Ohio State Buckeyes Sunday at Pauley Pavilion, as G Eric Dailey led the way with 20 points on 8-of-15 shooting, including 3 triples.
UCLA is still just 3-2 straight up (SU) in the past 5 outings, but it is hot against the number, going 6-1-1 against the spread (ATS) in the past 8 tries. The Bruins have covered 3 in a row on the road, too, while the Under is 6-1 across the past 7 games.
Purdue is skidding hard, in the midst of a 4-game losing streak, including a 73-58 loss at the Indiana Hoosiers last time out on Sunday as a 4-point favorite. The Under has hit in 3 of the past 4 outings. G Fletcher Loyer was a bright spot, going for 20 points on an efficient 6-of-9 shooting against the Hoosiers.
– Rankings: USA TODAY Sports Men's Basketball Coaches Poll
Stream select live college basketball games and full replays: Get ESPN+
UCLA at Purdue odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 1:31 p.m. ET.
Moneyline (ML) : UCLA +195 (bet $100 to win $195) | Purdue -235 (bet $235 to win $100)
: UCLA +195 (bet $100 to win $195) | Purdue -235 (bet $235 to win $100) Against the spread (ATS) : UCLA +5.5 (-110) | Purdue -5.5 (-110)
: UCLA +5.5 (-110) | Purdue -5.5 (-110) Over/Under (O/U): 138.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
UCLA at Purdue picks and predictions
Prediction
Purdue 70, UCLA 66
Purdue (-235) has to pull out of its nosedive eventually, and what better time to do so than at home. If this game against UCLA (+195) was on the road, it might be a different story. Still, you cannot risk more than 2 times your potential return on a team which has dropped 4 in a row, even if you toss it into a multi-leg parlay. There is just too much risk, and not enough value.
PASS.
UCLA +5.5 (-110) should be able to give Purdue -5.5 (-110) all it can handle at Mackey, in what has been a brutal stretch of schedule for the Boilermakers.
Despite the recent skid, Purdue is still a respectable 4-3 ATS in 7 home games inside the conference. This won't be easy. But, UCLA enters red-hot against the number, going 6-1-1 ATS in the past 8 games, including 3 straight covers on the road.
UNDER 138.5 (-110) is the lean, but go with a half-unit play at most.
The Under is 3-1 in the 4-game losing streak for Purdue, while going 6-1 in the previous 7 outings for UCLA. However, the Bruins have seen the Over hit in 5 of 7 road conference tilts, so there certainly is some risk here.
Play our free daily Pick'em Challenge and win! Play now!
For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.
Follow Kevin J. Erickson on Twitter/X. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter/X and like us on Facebook.
College sports coverage from USA TODAY Sports Media Group:
Alabama / Auburn / Clemson / Colorado / Duke / Florida / Florida State / Georgia / Iowa / Kentucky / LSU / Michigan / Michigan State / Nebraska / North Carolina / Notre Dame / Ohio State / Oklahoma / Oregon / Penn State / Tennessee / Texas / Texas A&M / UCLA / USC / Washington / Wisconsin / College Sports Wire / High School / Recruiting
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Associated Press
2 hours ago
- Associated Press
College sports commissioners laud $2.8B antitrust settlement, call for Congress to act
Conference commissioners lauded a judge's approval of a $2.8 billion antitrust lawsuit settlement as a means for bringing stability and fairness to an out-of-control college athletics industry but acknowledged there would be growing pains in implementing its terms. In a 30-minute virtual news conference Monday, commissioners of the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12 and SEC renewed their call for congressional action to supplement and even codify the settlement and emphasized that cooperation at every level of college sports would be necessary to make it work. They said it was too early to address how violators of rules surrounding revenue sharing and name, image and likeness agreements would be punished and noted newly hired College Sports Commission CEO Bryan Seeley would play a major role in determining penalties. The new era of college athletics has arrived after U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken gave final approval Friday night to what's known as House vs. NCAA. Beginning July 1, each school can share up to about $20.5 million with their athletes and third-party NIL deals worth $600 or more will be analyzed to make sure they pay appropriate 'market value' for the services being provided by athletes. Some of the topics addressed Monday: Binding conferences to terms The conferences drafted a document that would bind institutions to enforcement policies even if their state laws are contradictory. It would require schools to waive their right to pursue legal challenges against the CSC. It also would exempt the commission from lawsuits from member schools over enforcement decisions, instead offering arbitration as the main settlement option. Consequences for not signing the agreement would include risking the loss of league membership and participation against other teams from the Power Four conferences. Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark said the document remains a work in progress but that he's gotten no pushback from his schools. 'I look to get that executed here in short order,' he said, 'and know it will be very necessary for all the conferences to execute as well.' Directives on revenue sharingThere has been no directive given to individual schools on how to determine the allocation of revenue-sharing payments, commissioners said. It's widely acknowledged that athletes in football and basketball are expected to receive the majority of the money. 'I know for all five of us no one is forgetting about their Olympic sports and continuing to make sure we've invested a high level for all of our sports,' ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips said. College Sports Commission CEOThe commissioners said Seeley, as Major League Baseball executive vice president of legal and operations, was uniquely qualified to lead the CSC, which is charged with making sure schools adhere to the rules. 'Culture doesn't change overnight,' Seeley told The Athletic over the weekend. 'I don't expect that to happen overnight, but I do think that the schools that have signed on to the settlement want rules and want rules to be enforced. Otherwise they wouldn't have signed on to the settlement. I think student-athletes want a different system. So I think there is a desire for rules enforcement. There's a desire for transparency.' Sankey said Seeley is well-versed in areas of implementation, development and adjustment of rules and in NIL disputes requiring arbitration. Yormark said: 'You want people not to run away from a situation but to run to a situation. He ran here, and he's very passionate to make a difference and to course correct what's been going on in the industry.' Skepticism about enforcementDeloitte's 'NIL Go' program and LBI Software will track NIL deals and revenue-sharing contracts, and the commissioners shot down skepticism about the ability of those tools to enforce terms of the settlement. SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey said football and basketball coaches he spoke with in February were unanimous in wanting regulation. 'They have the responsibility to make what they asked for work,' he said. Congressional actionNCAA President Charlie Baker has been pushing Congress for a limited antitrust exemption that would protect college sports from another series of lawsuits, and the commissioners want a uniform federal NIL law that would supersede wide-ranging state laws. 'We're not going to have Final Fours and College Football Playoffs and College World Series with 50 different standards,' Sankey said, 'so that's a starting point.' Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti said the willingness of administrators to modernize the college athletics model should prompt federal lawmakers to move on codifying the settlement. Sankey's meeting with TrumpSankey confirmed a Yahoo Sports report that he and Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua played golf with President Donald Trump on Sunday. Sankey said he appreciates Trump's interest in college sports and that it was helpful to share perspectives on the path forward. Trump reportedly considered a presidential commission on college sports earlier this year. Sankey declined to disclose details of their talks. 'I think those are best left for the moment on the golf course,' he said. ___ AP college sports:
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Penn State, UCLA Take Private Equity Funding Deal With Elevate
Penn State and UCLA have become the inaugural partners in Elevate's newly unveiled $500 million College Investment Initiative, according to three individuals familiar with the situation. Accordingly, the two Big Ten institutions have emerged as the first known universities to formally embrace private capital as a means of funding their athletic departments—signaling a significant milestone in the growing convergence of institutional capital and intercollegiate athletics. More from Elevate Opens $500M College Sports Fund With Texas PSF, Velocity College Sports Commission Gives off Nonprofit Web Impression Colleges Prep for Athlete Title IX Lawsuits of the Revenue-Share Era Elevate formally introduced its college sports fund on Monday, revealing that two universities had already committed, but withholding their names. The fund is backed by private equity firm Velocity Capital Management and the Texas Permanent School Fund, a special-purpose government corporation that supports the state's schools. In a telephone interview, Elevate chief business officer Jonathan Marks declined to confirm the schools, but said they would be announced in the coming weeks along with potentially others. Representatives from UCLA and Penn State did not immediately respond to requests for comment. While neither Big Ten institution had previously been considered a frontrunner in the movement toward private financing, their participation is hardly surprising. Both rank among the top 25 in athletic spending among FBS public universities, per Sportico's college sports finance database, yet neither enjoys the same financial stability as some of their high-spending peers. For UCLA, the embrace of private investment comes amid prolonged fiscal distress. Now competing in the Big Ten following the dissolution of the Pac-12, the Bruins' athletic department has grappled with persistent deficits. Recent NCAA filings show a nearly $52 million shortfall in fiscal year 2024—even after receiving a $30 million campus subsidy. Over the past six years, the program has accrued close to $220 million in debt tied to athletics, highlighting the urgent need for alternative revenue streams. At Penn State, a similar financial recalibration is underway. In February, the university introduced a slate of new fees—including additional charges on season and single-game tickets, parking and in-stadium purchases—to establish its 'Legacy Fund,' designed to support mounting athletic department expenses from scholarships to facility improvements. Following Judge Claudia Wilken's final approval of the House v. NCAA settlement last week, Penn State athletic director Pat Kraft wrote an open letter announcing the Nittany Lions' intention to spend the maximum of athlete revenue-sharing allowable (roughly $20.5 million in 2025-26). 'While change can be difficult, it also can provide new opportunities, and I assure you we will embrace every opportunity this new model creates,' Kraft wrote. Over the past three years, universities, athletic conferences and private investors have engaged in ongoing discussions as the college sports economy shifts toward a model that increasingly acknowledges and compensates its athlete workforce. In this evolving landscape, it is fair to assume that nearly every Power Four institution—along with a growing number of non-P4 schools—has at least explored the potential implications of incorporating private capital into their athletic operations. Florida State University emerged as a notable early mover, becoming the first known institution to actively pursue private investment in its athletic department. In 2022, FSU initiated discussions with private equity firms Sixth Street and Arctos Partners under an in initiative internally dubbed 'Project Osceola.' While the talks demonstrated significant initial interest and ambition, the effort has yet to yield a formal agreement. Nevertheless, the initiative served as a clear signal to the broader market: Intercollegiate athletics may be prepared to venture into heretofore uncharted territory to maintain competitiveness in an increasingly professionalized landscape. With the pace of that transformation accelerating, many anticipated a wave of deals—whether through private equity, private credit or alternative financing structures—would soon materialize. Yet to date, such transactions have remained largely theoretical. In May 2024, RedBird Capital and Weatherford Capital—co-founded by FSU trustee and former Seminoles quarterback Drew Weatherford—unveiled Collegiate Athletic Solutions (CAS), an investment platform designed to deploy between $50 million and $200 million into select major athletic departments. Despite the ambition and capital behind the fund, CAS has yet to finalize or publicly announce any completed partnerships. Some universities that initially appeared to be strong candidates for private equity investment—such as the University of North Carolina—were ultimately put off by Wall Street's expectation for immediate returns. 'We have been approached numerous times about different private equity options, but nothing was appealing enough for us to pursue any further,' UNC athletic director Bubba Cunningham told Sportico last August. 'The cost of capital for us is fairly low. They've got some good ideas and thoughts about some other uses of the capital, but we're not there yet.' The Big 12—arguably the most enthusiastic supporter of private capital among the conferences—recently came to a similar conclusion after a year-long evaluation process that reportedly included discussions with global investment firm CVC Capital. Meanwhile, the Big Ten, which was previously lukewarm on the idea, retained investment bank Evercore earlier this year to begin soliciting preliminary PE pitches. Best of Tennis Prize Money Tracker: Which Player Has Earned the Most in 2025? World's 50 Most Valuable Soccer Clubs 2025 Rankings NBA Playoff Games Really Are Different, Data Shows
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Friday was a bad day after the loss of a good one in South Bend boys basketball
SOUTH BEND ― Five minutes. Maybe eight, tops. Those eight minutes were so fitting that it was funny. In the time it took to play one quarter of a high school basketball game in Indiana, where high school basketball is more than just, well, high school basketball, the guy who talked quietly but was a loud prep legend locally rarely allowed a phone message or a text to go unanswered for long. Advertisement Hit me back at this time, he'd say. I got you. He always had us. Noie: Top-ranked Penn baseball again turned to that guy at that field to do what he does Noie: How one high school athlete overcame a life-altering health condition to flourish in football That was former Clay High School basketball standout Jaraan Cornell. That was Indiana High School basketball legend Jaraan Cornell. That was former Purdue swingman Jaraan Cornell. That was longtime South Bend resident Jaraan Cornell. It didn't matter if you wanted a few minutes on the 25th anniversary or the 30th anniversary of Clay High School doing what many figured would never be done and winning the 1994 Indiana High School boys' state championship (before class basketball). It didn't matter if you wanted to gauge his feelings on watching his beloved Boilermakers advance to the 2024 Final Four and challenge for the national championship. Advertisement It didn't matter that Cornell made the biggest shot in South Bend area boys' basketball history that night in the long-since-gone RCA Dome against Valparaiso. It didn't matter that the moment the ball nestled into the net in regulation, the second the clock ran out in overtime on that Saturday night in 1994, Cornell's legacy was cemented. Forever. A Clay Colonial champion. Even decades later when he seemed bigger than life, Jaraan Cornell made sure to never big-time anybody. Especially if you were from the Bend. The South Bend kid was a South Bend legend. Always reppin' the 574, first at Clay where he became a Top 30 college prospect, then down at Purdue where he played 125 games for legendary coach Gene Keady. Then, naturally, back in South Bend where he coached two years of girls' basketball at Clay. Where he worked with local youth at Heroes Camp and, most recently, the South Bend Boys and Girls Club. Advertisement Where he was Jaraan Cornell. Cornell never was one of those former area ballers you forgot about and wondered about. The kid, then the man, they called J-Kool was always in town, always a call away, always willing to help and do what he could for South Bend. Always there. You needed five minutes from him, you got 10. You needed 20, he went for 30. Always patient. Always polite. Always ... himself. Get everything you need, he'd ask when the conversation concluded. If not, hit me again, Cornell would offer. His door was seemingly always open. He was always Jaraan Cornell. That's what made the news that broke early Friday afternoon so stunning. So numbing. The 48-year-old Cornell, who would've turned 49 in November ― the start of high school basketball season ― was found dead in his South Bend apartment. Advertisement A living legend. Our living legend. Gone. Hard to think. Hard to write. Harder to imagine that the South Bend community, the South Bend boys' basketball community, feels a lot emptier without No. 22 smiling that sly smile, shooting that smooth lefty jumper, always wanting to help however he could help. Word early Friday afternoon was that those closest to Cornell ― friends, maybe some former Clay teammates ― gathered at his residence to help one another cope. Surely, there were tears. There could not be tears, but eventually, maybe some smiles at the stories. About who he was as a basketball player. About who he was as a person. About how many lives he touched just by being himself. Jaraan Cornell never forgot his roots. He never turned his back on a town that wrapped their arms around him because of one magical March night in 1994. They write books about nights like that. They make movies about nights like that. They build statues for people like that. Advertisement That moment never left our consciousness in South Bend, not even after 10, 20, 30 years slipped away and life got in the way. You would drive down Darden Road, past the state championship sign, past Clay High School, which closed last summer, and you couldn't help but think of Cornell. Of those Colonials. At the start of every high school basketball season, you'd think of Clay and Cornell and that shot, those arms raised in celebration, the class that he carried that season, that game and all those years afterward. Look up class, look up character, look up champion in the dictionary and it should say, see Cornell, Jaraan. Now the guy's gone. Can't call him and wait for that return call. Can't text him and wait for that return text. Can't talk hoops with him. Can't talk South Bend with him. Can't hear his stories. Can't hear that deep, baritone laugh. Advertisement We can only talk about him. And we will. Next boys' basketball season. Next March. Next. As long as high school basketball is high school basketball and Indiana is Indiana, Jaraan Cornell lives forever in our hoops hearts. Follow South Bend Tribune and NDInsider columnist Tom Noie on X (formerly Twitter): @tnoieNDI. Contact Noie at tnoie@ This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Remembering a Clay High School boys basketball standout gone too soon
