UCLA Bruins vs Colorado Buffaloes Prediction, 2/26/2023 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: UCLA Bruins vs Colorado Buffaloes

Date: Sunday, February 26, 2023

Location: CU Events Center in Boulder, CO

TV: ESPN+

The UCLA Bruins (23-4) are en route to CU Events Center on Sunday where they will try to beat the Colorado Buffaloes (15-14).

The UCLA Bruins faced California and earned the victory with a final of 78-43 in their last contest. In relation to fouls, the Bruins walked away with 15 and California recorded 13 fouls. They also buried 3 out of their 11 tries from distance. California ended up shooting 78.3% when shooting free throws by burying 18 of their 23 attempts. On top of that, California grabbed 25 rebounds (6 offensive, 19 defensive), but couldn't earn a rejection. California doled out 4 dimes and had 7 steals in this matchup. With respect to defending, UCLA let their opponent shoot 22.0% from the floor on 11 of 50 shooting. They also dished out 19 assists for the game while forcing 13 turnovers and getting 8 steals. In the matter of hauling in boards, they collected 40 with 9 of them being offensive. From the charity stripe, the Bruins knocked down 12 of their 15 attempts for a percentage of 80.0%. UCLA walked away from the contest with a 51.7% FG percentage (30 of 58) and made 6 out of their 20 three-point attempts.

Jaime Jaquez is one guy who was a factor in this contest. He finished the game at 54.5% from the floor and also distributed 2 dimes. He was on the hardwood for 26 minutes played and also collected 8 rebounds. He was able to score 20 points on 6 of 11 shooting.

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UCLA will play this game with a mark of 23-4 for the campaign. They lose possession by turning the ball over 10.4 times per game and as a squad they commit 15.3 fouls on a nightly basis. As a unit, UCLA is pulling in 35.7 boards per contest and has accounted for 402 dimes for the year, which is 114th in college hoops in terms of passing. The Bruins are hitting 35.7% on shots from beyond the arc (171 of 479) and 71.1% from the free throw line. They are averaging 74.1 points per game (126th in the nation) while hitting 46.5% from the field.

On defense, the Bruins are able to force 16.6 turnovers every game and they draw 16.1 fouls. They relinquish 30.7% on 3-point shots and they are 6th in college basketball in points per game allowed (59.4). The Bruins are giving up a shooting percentage of 40.6% (581 of 1,431) and they relinquish 31.6 rebounds per game as a team. They are 46th in college hoops in allowing assists to the opposition with 303 relinquished so far this season.

The last time they took the court, the Colorado Buffaloes walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 84-65 against USC. When talking about rebounds, Colorado allowed USC to grab 36 in total (5 offensive). They shot 42.1% from 3-point land by shooting 8 of 19 and finished the contest at 10 of 17 from the charity stripe (58.8%). The Buffaloes allowed USC to convert 33 of their 58 tries from the floor which gave them a percentage of 56.9% for this game. Overall, the Buffaloes shot 24 out of 66 from the field which had them at 36.4%. In reference to 3-point shots, Colorado made 6 of their 28 attempts (21.4%). They were able to bury 11 of the free throws for a rate of 73.3%. USC committed 13 personal fouls in the game which took the Buffaloes to the free throw line for 15 shots. They gave up possession of the ball 6 times, while getting 8 steals in this contest. The Buffaloes earned 21 defensive boards and 7 offensive rebounds totaling 28 for the matchup.

KJ Simpson ended up having an impact for the Buffaloes for this contest. He had 18 points in his 38 mins of playing time and accumulated 5 assists in this game. He made 7 of 16 for the game for a field goal percentage of 43.8%, and added 6 rebounds.

Colorado has a mark of 15-14 on the campaign. In terms of offensive execution, the Buffaloes are connecting on 43.4% from the floor, which has them ranked 256th in college basketball. Colorado has scored 2,043 pts on the campaign (70.4 per contest) and they average 37.4 rebounds per game. Their rate of assisting teammates is at 13.0 times per game (192nd in D-1) and they lose possession by turning the ball over 13.4 times per game. The Buffaloes commit 16.3 fouls per contest and they go 69.4% from the charity stripe.

The Buffaloes on the defensive end are ranked 88th in D-1 in points allowed per game with 66.7. They are forcing their opponents into 14.2 TO's per game and have allowed teams to shoot 42.5% from the floor (108th in the nation). The Colorado defense surrenders 32.8% on three-point shots (182 of 555) and opponents are knocking down 70.2% of their free throw attempts. They allow 10.9 dimes and 33.7 boards on a nightly basis, which ranks 48th and 155th in those categories.

Who will win tonight's NCAA basketball game against the spread?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take UCLA

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