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Los Angeles Times
21-03-2025
- Sport
- Los Angeles Times
UCLA dominates Utah State to set up NCAA tournament showdown with Tennessee
LEXINGTON, Ky. — UCLA was trying to maintain a double-digit lead early in the second half when it suffered what looked like a devastating loss. Sophomore center Aday Mara, who had been dominating Utah State on both ends of the court, rolled his left ankle and limped off the court, sitting on the end of the bench while trainer Tyler Lesher tended to his injury. What did the Bruins do for the next few minutes with their biggest difference-maker sidelined in their NCAA tournament opener? They rolled up an even bigger cushion. Skyy Clark buried one three-pointer and Kobe Johnson followed a three-pointer from one corner with one from the other, kissing his fingers and raising them to the roaring crowd inside Rupp Arena. There were even more encouraging developments to come for the Bruins. Mara put a support wrap on his ankle and returned before seventh-seeded UCLA closed out the 10th-seeded Aggies with relative ease, their 72-47 victory in a Midwest Region first-round game Thursday night not drawing any uncomfortable parallels to a bunch of late-game letdowns from earlier in the season. The Bruins (23-10) will play second-seeded Tennessee in the second round on Sunday after getting some excellent guard to play to go with Mara's 10 points, six rebounds, five blocks and two assists in only 18 minutes. Clark made four of seven three-pointers on the way to 14 points and Andrews added some lockdown defense on Utah State's Ian Martinez (two points on one-for-11 shooting) to go with his eight points and eight assists against only one turnover. Forward Eric Dailey Jr. finished with 12 of his 14 points in the second half. Guard Mason Falslev tallied 17 points and 10 rebounds for the Aggies (26-8), who shot 30% to the Bruins' 48.1% UCLA arrived here needing a palette cleanser from its blowout loss in the Big Ten tournament against Wisconsin, which Bruins coach Mick Cronin referred to as the Boston Celtics because of the Badgers' similar ability to make gobs of three-pointers. Playing Utah State represented a do-over of sorts given the guard-heavy Aggies' love of long-range shots. The Bruins did a much better job of sticking with their man Thursday, holding Utah State to two of 17 from beyond the arc and four of 31 (12.9%) for the game. Utah did not hide its game plan, coach Jerrod Calhoun and his players saying they wanted to get out in transition and play fast. How would they counteract Mara without their own 7-footer? More speed. 'Luckily, he's not too heavy so we can fight that physically to some extent,' Utah State guard Ian Martinez said, 'but mostly with speed would be ideal to beat him.' Calhoun almost sounded like he was preparing a concession speech in the event UCLA deployed a heavy dose of Mara, who had helped the Bruins win all nine games this season in which he played at least 15 minutes. 'One of the most talented young players in college basketball,' Calhoun said. 'You can see when he gets going in a game and he gets that swagger and that confidence, a lot of times it's easy baskets. He's one of the best lob threats we have in college basketball. 'Mick does a tremendous job of putting him in Spain actions, high pick and rolls. So your ball screen defense against him has to be really good. You got to do a tremendous job of playing physical. If he catches the ball in the block, you have no shot.' Mara converted a couple of those catches into points while helping UCLA take a 39-27 halftime lead. He took one pass and spun around Aubin Gateretse for a dunk and took another for a jump hook. His best stretch might have come when Johnson fed him for dunks on back-to-back possessions, the second assist leading Johnson to make a binoculars gesture with his hands. The Bruins had rolled off 12 consecutive points to take a 14-point lead and Utah State called timeout. Mara's line by the game's midpoint was representative of his across-the-board value to his team. He had eight points on four-for-five shooting to go with three blocks, four rebounds and the game's best two assists thrown from the high post — a bounce pass to Clark for a dunk on a give and go as well as a pass to Lazar Stefanovic for a baseline jumper. UCLA's halftime lead might have been insurmountable had the Bruins not given up 10 offensive rebounds leading to 14 points for Utah State — more than half the Aggies' total. The Bruins' advantage would soon get there.
USA Today
19-03-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
March Madness: Utah State vs. UCLA odds, picks and predictions
The No. 10 seed Utah State Aggies (26-7) square off against the No. 7 seed UCLA Bruins (22-10) on Thursday night in the Midwest Region of the NCAA Tournament. Tip from Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky, is scheduled for 9:25 p.m. ET (TNT). Let's analyze BetMGM Sportsbook's lines around the Utah State vs. UCLA odds, and make our expert college basketball picks and predictions. Utah State's 2-game winning streak was snapped with an 83-72 loss against the Colorado State Rams in the Mountain West semifinal, failing to cover as a 1-point underdog. The Aggies finished third in the conference at 15-5 and are led by G Ian Martinez, who averages 16.8 points per game (PPG). UCLA had its 2-game winning streak snapped with an 86-70 loss against the Wisconsin Badgers in the Big Ten quarterfinals, failing to cover as a 2-point underdog. The Bruins finished sixth in the Big Ten (13-7) and are led by F Tyler Bilodeau who averages 13.6 PPG. – Rankings: USA TODAY Sports Men's Basketball Coaches Poll THE BRACKETS ARE BACK! The USA TODAY Sports Bracket Challenge is back! $1 MILLION grand prize for a perfect bracket, $25,000 prize for top bracket. Free to enter, 21+. Terms apply, void where prohibited by law. See Official Rules. Play now! Utah State vs. UCLA odds Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Wednesday at 6:43 p.m. ET. Moneyline (ML) : Utah State +195 (bet $100 to win $195) | UCLA -235 (bet $235 to win $100) : Utah State +195 (bet $100 to win $195) | UCLA -235 (bet $235 to win $100) Against the spread (ATS) : Utah State +5.5 (-110) | UCLA -5.5 (-110) : Utah State +5.5 (-110) | UCLA -5.5 (-110) Over/Under (O/U): 144.5 (O: -105 | U: -115) Can you survive? USA TODAY Sports' Men and Women's Basketball Tournament Survivor Pools are here with a $2,500 prize for each contest! Free to enter, 21+. Terms apply, void where prohibited by law. See Official Rules. Play now! Utah State vs. UCLA picks and predictions Prediction Utah State 77, UCLA 73 BET UTAH STATE (+195). The Aggies are one of the most efficient shooting teams in the country shooting 49% from the field, which is good for 11th-best. They average nearly 80.9 PPG and pose a real threat against a UCLA team that has scored 73 or fewer points in 6 of its last 7 games and has allowed 76 or more points in 2 of its last 4 contests. Traditionally, the 7-10 matchups cause a lot of havoc and the Bruins have a high chance of being on the wrong end of that on Thursday. PASS. The moneyline has the best value on the Aggies. BET OVER 144.5 (-110). The Aggies have scored 70 or more points in 8 of their last 10 games while allowing 82 or more points in 3 of their last 5 contests. They have hit the Over in 7 of their last 10. The Bruins have scored at least 70 points in 6 of their last 9 games, including 3 straight, and have allowed at least 69 points in 3 of their last 4 games. They have hit the Over in each of their last 4 games. Play our free daily Pick'em Challenge and win! Play now! For more sports betting picks and tips, check out and BetFTW. Follow @seth_orlemann 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
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
March Madness Cinderellas: Drake, Yale highlight NCAA Tournament upset picks
Cinderella, get ready to have a ball. This is your moment. This NCAA Tournament features four particularly strong No. 1 seeds, but I also spy some underdogs equipped to do damage. Come the Final Four, expect a lot of chalk. In the meantime, I anticipate a delicious dose of chaos. There's no shortage of Nos. 10, 11, 12 and even 13 seeds that can inflict pain. I can't propose an upset from the Nos. 15 or 16 seeds. Although not impossible in a tournament known for unpredictability, the top seeds are too strong this year. Also, I didn't include any No. 9 seeds as Cinderellas. First-round triumphs by a No. 9 seed hardly qualify as upsets. SURVIVOR POOL Can your picks survive March Madness? Join Survivor Pool to find out. From the 10- through 14-seed line, here are my teams that offer top Cinderella potential: First-round opponent: (7) Marquette The Lobos' Donovan Dent stands out as one of the nation's best point guards, regardless of conference. He scores as well as he distributes. New Mexico plays stingy defense, and it owns non-conference wins against tournament qualifiers UCLA and VCU. The Lobos are good enough to win multiple NCAA Tournament games. First-round opponent: (7) UCLA The Aggies are especially efficient offensively, and they average nine 3-pointers per game. Teams that can get hot from the perimeter offer enticing upset potential. Utah State's non-conference win list includes Iowa and Saint Mary's. Top player Ian Martinez scored 21 points in last year's first-round takedown of TCU. REGIONAL PREDICTIONS: East | West | Midwest | South PREDICTIONS: NCAA bracket hot takes - upset picks and Final Four selections First-round opponent: (6) Missouri Drake will be a popular Cinderella in bracket pools, and trendy upsets too often don't pan out. Still, I can't resist a team that defends and rebounds as well as Drake, which beat tournament qualifier Vanderbilt. Four Drake starters, including star guard Bennett Stirtz, smoothly transitioned from Division II after previously playing for coach Ben McCollum at Northwest Missouri State. If Drake dictates the deliberate tempo it prefers, that could bother Missouri. First-round opponent: (6) Brigham Young BYU's slick-shooting offense meets VCU's dogged defense in another 6-vs-11 matchup paring teams with contrasting styles. The Rams are no stranger to facing high-major programs. They beat Boston College and Miami. They've won 12 of their last 13 games. Coach Ryan Odom engineered the first upset by a No. 16 seed in March Madness history, when Maryland-Baltimore County stunned No. 1 Virginia in 2018. First-round opponent: (5) Michigan Five years ago, the Tritons won 30 games in their final Division II season. They needed just a handful of years to take over the Big West. They average nearly 11 3s per game – that's a recipe for an upset – and four starters average in double figures scoring. The committee considers UC-San Diego the best No. 12 seed. Duke is the only team with more victories than the Tritons' 30. First-round opponent: (5) Memphis If you like hot squads, you'll love the Rams, winners of 10 straight. Most of those results came in convincing fashion. Colorado State went 10-7 against "Quad 1" and "Quad 2" opponents. Fifth-year senior Nique Clifford supplies efficient scoring and reliable rebounding. The Mountain West qualified four teams, so it says something that Colorado State won the conference tournament. First-round opponent: (4) Texas A&M No need to question Yale's basketball IQ, and the Bulldogs shouldn't be intimidated after playing Purdue to a close game this season. Star guard John Poulakidas is back after scoring 28 points in last season's first-round upset of Auburn. Yale shoots at a high clip from 3-point range, and the Bulldogs won't shy away from Texas A&M's physicality. First-round opponent: (3) Iowa State The 3-point shot remains college basketball's great equalizer, and Lipscomb averages nearly 10 triples per game. Lipscomb also shoots free throws better than all but two teams in the bracket. Jacob Ognacevic has scored at least 20 points in eight of his past nine games. A Lipscomb upset would be the longest-shot on this list, but what's March without a little madness? Blake Toppmeyer is a columnist for the USA TODAY Network. Email him at BToppmeyer@ and follow him on X @btoppmeyer. to read all of his columns. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: March Madness Cinderellas: Drake, Yale top tournament upset picks
Washington Post
14-03-2025
- Sport
- Washington Post
Utah State defeats UNLV 70-58 in Mountain West Conference Tournament quarterfinal
LAS VEGAS — Ian Martinez had 17 points to lead Utah State to a 70-58 victory over UNLV in a Mountain West Conference Tournament quarterfinal on Thursday night. The third-seeded Aggies (26-6) will play No. 2 seed Colorado State in a Friday semifinal. No. 1 seed New Mexico plays No. 5 seed Boise State in the other semifinal.
Fox Sports
14-03-2025
- Sport
- Fox Sports
Utah State defeats UNLV 70-58 in Mountain West Conference Tournament quarterfinal
Associated Press LAS VEGAS (AP) — Ian Martinez had 17 points to lead Utah State to a 70-58 victory over UNLV in a Mountain West Conference Tournament quarterfinal on Thursday night. The third-seeded Aggies (26-6) will play No. 2 seed Colorado State in a Friday semifinal. No. 1 seed New Mexico plays No. 5 seed Boise State in the other semifinal. Martinez also had six rebounds for the Aggies. Mason Falslev totaled 15 points, nine rebounds and six assists. Karson Templin scored nine. The sixth-seeded Rebels (18-15) were led by Jaden Henley, who finished with 19 points and five steals. Jalen Hill added 13 points and seven rebounds. Jailen Bedford had 13 points and three steals. Utah State took the lead with 19:05 remaining in the first half and did not relinquish it. The score was 36-29 at halftime, with Tucker Anderson racking up nine points. ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar. recommended
