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Colorado vs UCLA Prediction, Game Preview, Live Stream, Odds and Picks
Bruins Going After 11th Straight Win
Colorado Eyeing Pac-12 Upset
The teams were separated by 10 games in the Pac-12 standings during the regular season. However, Colorado made things difficult for UCLA during the regular-season matchups.
Colorado led at halftime the last time the teams met as UCLA was just 1 of 14 from 3-point range.
UCLA is eyeing a No. 1 seed in the upcoming March Madness bracket and it might take winning the Pac-12 title for that to happen, so the Bruins can’t afford a come up short in this Pac-12 quarterfinal showdown.
When it comes to the college basketball news, Colorado is expected to be without second-leading scorer KJ Simpson and fellow guard Javon Ruffin so the Buffaloes won’t have the services of two of the 10 players averaging at least 10 minutes per game.
UCLA lost a key piece when guard Jaylen Clark suffered a season-ending torn Achilles. Clark is second on the team in both scoring and rebounding. Abramo Canka and Evan Manjikian are also out for the Bruins.
UCLA is second in both national polls and received three first-place votes in the Associated Press top.
According to the odds to win March Madness, UCLA (+900) is third in the odds to win the national championship. Colorado comes in at +100000 in the championship odds.
UCLA is fourth in the latest NCAA NET rankings and there is a chance of the Bruins securing a No. 1 seed when the March Madness bracket comes out. A win won’t help UCLA’s NET ranking. However, a loss would be the first non-Quad 1 defeat for the Bruins.
Colorado is 70th in the NET rankings so it will take a run to the Pac-12 tournament title to make it into the NCAA Tournament.
Hammond Making an Impact
Colorado had to work for a first-round win over Washington as the Huskies led briefly in the second half.
Luke O’Brien’s 3-pointer with 1:02 left to play gave Colorado the lead for good and Tristan da Silva iced the win with three late free throws.
Sophomore Julian Hammond led the way with 21 points and that could be a key for the Buffaloes considering that Hammond had a total of three points in the two matchups with UCLA during the regular season. He has 36 points over his last two games and that is easily his highest total in back-to-back contests this season.
Colorado has covered against the college basketball lines in five of its last six games.
Jaquez Ready for March Madness
Jaime Jaquez scored in double figures in four of the five games when UCLA advanced to the 2021 Final Four. Could he be ready for more March Madness brilliance?
During UCLA’s current 10-game winning streak, he had at least 20 points on seven occasions. Over the last seven games, Jaquez put up 22.7 points and 8.4 rebounds while shooting 49.6% from the floor.
Jaquez has 40 points and 18 rebounds in the two games against Colorado. He is one of five finalists for the Julius Erving Award as the top small forward in men’s college basketball.
𝐉𝐔𝐋𝐈𝐔𝐒 𝐄𝐑𝐕𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐀𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐃, 𝐅𝐈𝐍𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓
Congratulations to Jaime Jaquez Jr. on being named as one of 5⃣ finalists for this season’s Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award.
🏀🗒️: https://t.co/iaIdoqplOE pic.twitter.com/Lz21ADKfsh
— UCLA Men’s Basketball (@UCLAMBB) March 8, 2023
It will be worth watching to see how things look different without Clark to take some of the offensive burden off Jaquez’s shoulders.
Four of UCLA’s last six games finished under the Las Vegas odds total.
Colorado vs UCLA Game Injuries
Colorado vs UCLA Head-to-Head
UCLA has won four games in a row against Colorado and seven of the last eight. Colorado has covered in three of the last five matchups.
Five of the last six games between the Bruins and Buffaloes have finished under the total.
Six of the last eight meetings have been decided by single digits and that includes UCLA’s four-point road win on Feb. 26, so keep that in mind when making college basketball predictions.
Colorado vs UCLA Game Information
- Game: Colorado (17-15, 8-12 Pac-12) vs UCLA (27-4, 18-2)
- Location: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas
- Day/Time: Thursday, March 9, 3:00 p.m. ET
- Colorado vs UCLA Live Stream: TBS.com
Colorado vs UCLA Betting Lines
Colorado vs UCLA Picks and Prediction
Considering how competitive the two matchups were during the regular season, the nine-point line could be a bit on the high side. However, this is a time of the year that UCLA has been prepping for.
The top-seeded Bruins are the favorites to win the Pac-12 title according to the college basketball picks.
The teams were third and fifth in the Pac-12 in rebounding margin during the regular season and the battle for balls coming off the rim will be worth monitoring.
Colorado is one of the worst 3-point shooting teams in the country. However, in the last meeting, the Buffaloes outscored UCLA 21-3 from the 3-point line.
The Bruins are 26-2 when listed by the sportsbook as the favorite. Colorado is 4-6 as the underdog.
UCLA is 1-2 against the spread (ATS) in neutral-site games this season.
UCLA is listed at -470 in our Las Vegas college basketball lines. This means that if you wager $100 on the Bruins, you have a chance to win $21. Colorado is +355, offering a chance to win $355 on a $100 wager.
The implied probability attached to the betting lines gives Colorado a 21.98% chance to win, with UCLA at 82.46%.
