Arizona State vs. UCLA Picks, Predictions, Odds

The UCLA Bruins claimed their first Pac 12 regular season championship in a decade with a victory over the Colorado Buffaloes last week. UCLA has now won 32 Pac 12 regular season titles, almost double the number of the next best team in the conference (Arizona).

The Bruins will close out their season with the Wildcats, but they must first take on the Arizona State Sun Devils on Thursday night. As long as UCLA can win both of those games, the Bruins are in great position to claim a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

On Thursday, March 2, 2023, the UCLA Bruins will host the Arizona State Sun Devils in their penultimate regular season game. These teams are scheduled to tip off at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN from Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles, California.

Arizona State Sun Devils vs. UCLA Bruins Betting Prediction

While the UCLA Bruins are looking to grab a No. 1 seed, the Arizona State Sun Devils are looking to grab any seed in the NCAA Tournament. Arizona State is currently considered the last team in the Field of 68 according to Joe Lunardi's most recent Bracketology.

The Sun Devils will be going on the road to face UCLA and USC in their final two games of the regular season, and they need to win at least one of those two games to help their resume.

Winning both of those games would almost certainly lock up a spot in the NCAA Tournament for the Sun Devils, but that's a hard ask considering they lost to both those teams at home back in mid-January. Look for the Bruins to cruise to a double-digit win here.

Best Bet: UCLA -13
Score Prediction: UCLA 83, Arizona State 65

Arizona State Sun Devils vs. UCLA Bruins Betting Odds

Arizona State Sun Devils vs. UCLA Bruins Betting Resources

Date: Thursday, Mar. 2, 2023
TV-Time: ESPN, 9:00 p.m. ET
Venue: Pauley Pavilion
Location: Los Angeles, California
Matchup
Expert Picks

Arizona State Sun Devils vs. UCLA Bruins Betting Stats

Arizona State Sun Devils
SU: 20-9
ATS: 13-15-1
O/U: 15-14
PPG: 71.2
OPPG: 67.2

UCLA Bruins
SU: 25-4
ATS: 16-12-1
O/U: 13-16
PPG: 73.7
OPPG: 59.7

Straight Up (SU), Against the Spread (ATS), Over-Under (O/U)
Points Per Game (PPG), Opponents Points Per Game (OPPG)

Arizona State Sun Devils Betting Analysis

The Arizona State Sun Devils have not been good on offense this year. They rank outside the top 100 in Ken Pomeroy's metrics, as they are collectively making just 31.6% of their threes and 49.1% of their two-point attempts. Arizona State is making under 70% of its free throws too, as no one that has shot at least 60 free throws is making more than 65% of them. Additionally, none of their top four scorers are hitting more than 41.1% of their field goals on the season.

The only rotation players that are making more than 42% of their field goal attempts this season are Devan Cambridge and Warren Washington. Cambridge and Washington are the tallest Arizona State players that see consistent action, as head coach Bobby Hurley likes to use a lot of three and four guard lineups. Washington is also a very good shot blocker, leading the team with 1.9 BPG.

Arizona State does have a pretty good defense though. The Sun Devils rank 17th nationally in defensive effective field goal percentage, and they have a top five interior defense with opponents making just 43% of their two-point attempts. They are able to force a decent amount of turnovers too with Frankie Collins and Desmond Cambridge Jr. making things difficult on opponents.

UCLA Bruins Betting Analysis

There's no doubt that UCLA is the cream of the crop in the Pac 12. The Bruins are 25-4 and 16-2 in conference play. They've won eight straight games, and they have nice non-conference wins over Maryland and Kentucky to their credit. Mick Cronin has UCLA playing excellent defense too as the Bruins rank second in defensive efficiency per Ken Pomeroy. They force opponents to turn the ball over on nearly a quarter of their possessions with Jaylen Clark ranking in the top ten nationally in steal percentage.

Jaime Jaquez has been superb this season, leading UCLA with 17.0 PPG and 8.0 RPG. Jaquez is one of the most well-rounded players in the country, and he makes his presence felt on both the offensive and defensive end even though he isn't a very efficient three-point shooter. Clark is cut from the same cloth as the second leading scorer and rebounder, but he too struggles from beyond the arc, and Tyger Campbell is only making 35% of his threes.

Big men could give UCLA fits in both this game and the NCAA Tournament. The Bruins' five leading scorers are all guards, as the average height on this team is just 6'5. Adem Bona is the only frontcourt player who sees regular playing time, but he is just a freshman and hasn't scored more than eight points in any game in a month. Fortunately, Arizona State doesn't have great play in the frontcourt.