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NBC Sports
21-03-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
UCLA vs. Tennessee Prediction: Odds, Expert Picks, Betting Trends and Stats for 2025 March Madness Round 2
The UCLA Bruins (23-10) take the court against the Tennessee Volunteers (28-7) in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday in Lexington, KY. UCLA thumped Utah State, 72-47, on Thursday in the first round. Eric Dailey, Jr. and Skyy Clark paced the Bruins' attack with 14 points apiece. UCLA was 10-24 from beyond the arc (41.7%). Tennessee advanced to Saturday's second round with a decisive victory of their own, dominating Wofford, 77-62. Chaz Lanier had 29 for the Vols in the win and the Tennessee defense allowed Wofford a mere 27 first half points. The winner of this game earns a ticket to the Sweet 16. Lets dive into the matchup and offer some information and possibly a sweat or two. We've got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on the how to catch the opening tip, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts. Game details & how to watch UCLA vs. Tennessee Date: Saturday, March 22, 2025 Time: 9:40PM EST Site: Rupp Arena City: Lexington, KY Network/Streaming: TBS / truTV Never miss a second of the action and stay up to date with all the latest scores and player news. Check out our day-by-day NCAA Basketball Schedule Page that includes live game updates. Game odds for UCLA vs. Tennessee The latest odds as of Friday courtesy of BetMGM: Odds: UCLA Bruins (+170), Tennessee Volunteers (-210) Spread: Volunteers -4.5 Total: 132.5 points Expert picks & predictions for UCLA vs. Tennessee Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the NCAA calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, injuries, and the schedule. Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager. Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Saturday's Bruins & Volunteers game: Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is staying away from a play on the Moneyline. Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on Tennessee -4.5. Total: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play on the Game Total OVER 132.5. UCLA vs. Tennessee: Top betting trends and recent stats UCLA has covered the spread in 3 of their last 4 games UCLA Game Totals have cashed to the OVER in 3 of their last 4 games Tennessee did not cover as 18.5-point favorites against Wofford Tennessee is now 3-7 against the spread in their last 10 games The OVER has cashed in 5 of Tennessee's last 6 games If you're looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our NCAA Basketball Top Trends Tool on Please bet responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700. Follow our experts on socials to keep up with all the latest content from the staff: · Jay Croucher (@croucherJD) · Drew Dinsick (@whale_capper) · Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports) · Brad Thomas (@MrBradThomas)
USA Today
28-02-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
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 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
Los Angeles Times
10-02-2025
- Sport
- Los Angeles Times
‘The things I do aren't normal.' UCLA's Eric Dailey Jr. thrives on relentless work
Three days after he absorbed a vicious blow to the face, breaking his nose and making him so unsteady that his coach yanked him from the game after a brief return, Eric Dailey Jr. started a video call with his father. Never mind that it was Christmas Eve, or that the UCLA sophomore forward hadn't been outfitted with the custom mask he would need to play again. There were holiday tidings to share. 'In the gym, buddy, you know what it is,' Dailey said. 'I don't use my nose to play, I use my legs. My legs and arms are good.' A day later, in the early hours of Christmas morning, there was another message from the same place. 'I'm going to get some shots up,' Dailey said, 'and go eat with coach.' While most of his teammates slept, Dailey pressed his finger on the infrared scanner outside the practice facility. Granted entry to his refuge, he wasn't trying to make a point or show anyone up. Alone with just the echo of a bouncing ball, it was time for the Dailey dose of extra work. 'For me, basketball is my sanctuary, it's my life,' Dailey said. 'Outside of this, I've really got nothing and if you want to be good at something, you've got to give it your all.' Not every workout is an hours-long slog. Sometimes he'll come in for 20 minutes of free throws. Other times, it's just to get treatment. But everything has a purpose. During his solo session on Christmas Eve, Dailey cycled through a series of three-pointers, pull-up jumpers, free throws and post moves, every shot intended to prepare him for what he might face against Gonzaga four days later. He went on to make four of five three-pointers while scoring 18 points during a triumph over the nationally ranked Bulldogs, showing once again why he's the most consistent player on a team that six weeks later is surging with seven consecutive victories. Dailey's leaning left-handed jumper in the lane over two Michigan State defenders with 7.5 seconds left last week powered the Bruins to what might have been their most impressive win of the season. Five days earlier, he made eight of nine shots during his team's 26-point rout of Oregon. 'Everybody thinks this is rocket science sometimes,' UCLA coach Mick Cronin said of basketball success, 'but I know this — it's hard to get better if you're not in the gym. A lot of guys, especially in this era when you put money in guys' pockets, they're at nice dinners trying to impress UCLA volleyball players and girls' basketball players and cheerleaders. 'You know, Eric Dailey's in the gym.' Sitting across from the visiting team's bench inside Pauley Pavilion, Eric Dailey analyzes his namesake son's every move. Is he holding the form on his shots? What is his body language saying? What does he need to do better? While he waits until after the game to deliver his verdict, the elder Dailey invariably sends his son the same pregame three-letter text message: 'BTA.' 'That's our motto,' Eric Sr. said with a laugh. 'Bust Their Ass.' A former team captain at Texas Christian who went on to play 10 years professionally — the last five after a second injury to his knee ligaments — Eric Sr. considered winning habits his son's birthright. When the boy was 3, his father positioned a chair near a Fisher-Price goal in the kitchen and taught him basic offensive actions. 'Start on the block, curl around the chair, jump shot,' the younger Dailey said of the routine. Dad was fine with his son being a momma's boy because tagging along with her to work had unusual basketball benefits. An assistant coach with the WNBA's San Antonio Silver Stars at the time of Eric's birth, Shell Dailey first took her son to a game while scouting when he was six weeks old. He eventually followed her to practices and games while she coached at the University of Florida and IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. Eric learned more than the inner workings of the game while hanging out in locker rooms and arenas with his mom, who had played at the University of Texas. Shell talked about the importance of defense and other aspects of the game often ignored by younger players. If mom was his mental coach, then dad was his trainer. His eighth-grade schedule included 6 a.m. shooting sessions, practice at 8, weights at 9:30, lunch at 10 and class from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., a routine that's similar to the one he follows at UCLA. Eric Sr. worked with his son on ballhandling, moves, developing instincts — anything that would make him more well-rounded. Along the way, the son's game started to resemble that of his father, with one exception. 'I have a jumper,' Eric Jr. said. 'My shot's way better.' When he wasn't playing for his middle and high school teams, Eric competed for international club teams that toured the United States. He spent summers playing for club teams based in Spain and Italy. The goal was to face some of the world's top players and focus on skill development instead of just scoring. The lack of participation in American club basketball until late in his high school career came with a downside. Eric wasn't ranked among the elite U.S. prospects, leading to his exclusion from the McDonald's All-American team even as he became increasingly involved in a USA Basketball program that churned out NBA players. 'My whole life I've been overlooked,' Eric said. 'Nobody's been talking about me, like, I wasn't always the highest-rated guy; I was always the guy left out of things.' It's a grudge that's remained firm, often driving him during workouts. His father figured this is how it might turn out. 'I wanted him to be where he is now, to have a desire,' Eric Sr. said, 'because if I tell you you're No. 1 when you're 12, you're not even hungry at 20 — man, I've been No. 1 already, you know? So by design, I didn't put him in that system.' Seeing the ball go in the basket during workouts gives Dailey confidence that the same thing will happen in games. He prepares for unlikely situations — anything that might pop into his mind — during a drill called 'Imagination.' It's something he believes helped him during UCLA's recent victory over Oregon, when he briefly lost the ball late in the shot clock, got it back, spun and stepped back into a three-pointer. 'Nobody works on that,' Dailey said, 'but I used to work on just spinning, shooting, just imagination.' His work is reflected in his accuracy, the 6-foot-8 Dailey's 52.6% shooting best among the team's guards and forwards while his average of 12 points per game trails only that of forward Tyler Bilodeau (13.8). There's improvement to be made considering Cronin told Dailey he wanted him to convert 40% of his three-pointers and he's at 37.1%, the second-best percentage on the team. Cronin's bid to maximize his potential was one of the reasons Dailey transferred to UCLA last spring after spending his freshman season at Oklahoma State. Another lure was the arrival of transfer Skyy Clark, whose family has long been close to the Daileys. Clark's father, Kenny, was a childhood friend of Eric Sr. and his uncle, Steve Rhem, was the best man at Eric Sr. and Shell's wedding. Skyy and the younger Dailey consider themselves cousins. The Daileys heard stories in basketball circles about how Cronin was unreasonably difficult, only to learn otherwise once they met him on what turned out to be Eric's only official visit before committing to the Bruins. 'People were just telling me horror stories like, 'Oh, he's hard on the players and this and that,' ' Eric Sr. said, 'and I'm thinking to myself, what do you mean, man? Is he chasing them outside and putting a gun to their head and shooting them? Do I need to worry? Nah. He holds the players accountable, he makes them work hard. 'Coming to meet Cronin, man, it was just like meeting myself. He's like me — I need somebody because not a lot of people are going to push E. as hard as I pushed him.' The elder Dailey saw it for himself in practice when Cronin made his left-handed son pass with his non-dominant hand to improve his ballhandling, stopping play whenever he failed to comply. The younger Dailey said he appreciated having a coach as driven as himself. Eric impressed Cronin by moving to Los Angeles in May, a month before the start of summer school, and showing up in the gym each morning for two-hour workouts. 'People give their opinions talking about, 'He's crazy and all this,' ' the younger Dailey said of his coach. 'I think it was good — I like crazy, that's been my thing. I'm crazy too — the things I do aren't normal.' Like what? 'Waking up at 6 a.m. every day,' Dailey said with a chuckle. 'It's February, I'm still waking up at the same time like it's the offseason.' Calendars are useless in the household where a ball and access to the gym makes every day feel like Christmas.
New York Times
05-02-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
UCLA upsets No. 9 Michigan State for sixth straight win: What the Bruins have to do to make NCAA Tournament
Home sweet home, indeed. The unranked UCLA Bruins won their sixth straight game Tuesday night, pulling out a 63-61 win over No. 9 Michigan State at Pauley Pavilion, an environment they desperately missed most of January. The game-winning shot from @UCLAMBB's Eric Dailey was 😱#B1GMBBall — Big Ten Men's Basketball (@B1GMBBall) February 5, 2025 One month ago, one of the best basketball programs in the history of college hoops started to spiral. On Jan. 4, UCLA lost the first of four consecutive games, all on the road. The Bruins fell to non-basketball powers like Nebraska and Rutgers, as well as Maryland and Michigan, all while fifth-year coach Mick Cronin grumbled about Big Ten travel and the absurdity of spending nearly 10 days straight back east. Advertisement Then the Bruins came back West, and things got better. A lot better. Tuesday night the Bruins didn't just deny Michigan State coach Tom Izzo a chance to tie the Big Ten all-time wins record but reminded everyone in college basketball, particularly the selection committee, that they can do damage when they're locked in. It's UCLA's third consecutive win against a ranked team, too, after picking up victories over No. 18 Wisconsin on Jan. 21 and No. 16 Oregon Jan. 30 — a game in which it held the Ducks to a season-low in scoring. Against Michigan State, UCLA did a little bit of everything, including show a lot of guts. After building a double-digit lead, the Bruins let MSU come all the way back, tying the game 54-54 with 7:09 to play. It was back and forth from there, until a costly Michigan State turnover with 23 seconds to go and the game tied 61-61 gave UCLA the ball, and a shot to win. The Bruins did exactly that on a tough leaner from Eric Dailey Jr. that the sophomore forward managed to bank in over the outstretched arms of two Spartan defenders. The make put UCLA in front 63-61 with seven seconds left. Michigan State got a decent look, but Jaden Akins' 3 was short. Perhaps the best news for the Bruins: They've still got four home games to go. Win those and pull off a surprise on the road — UCLA has games this month at No. 23 Illinois and No. 7 Purdue — and the Bruins will inch up the seed line. Steal both of those ranked road contests and end the regular season on a 14-game win streak, and Selection Sunday could be very sweet. It's taken time for UCLA — and the rest of the Big Ten — to adjust to season-long cross-country travel. Now that they've settled, Dailey Jr. told the Peacock broadcast team UCLA's message to the Big Ten is clear: 'We belong, and we're contenders in this conference.' If they can play on the West Coast in March, they'll be contending for a deep postseason run, too.
