UCLA Bruins vs Washington State Cougars Prediction, 3/2/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: UCLA Bruins vs Washington State Cougars

Date: Saturday, March 2, 2024

Location: Friel Court at Beasley Coliseum in Pullman, WA

TV: PAC12

The UCLA Bruins (14-13) are on their way to Friel Court at Beasley Coliseum on Saturday where they will play the Washington State Cougars (21-7).

The UCLA Bruins stepped onto the hardwood against USC and took a loss by a score of 62-56 in their last game. When discussing fouls, the Bruins walked away with 19 while USC finished the game with 18 fouls. They also made 8 of 18 tries from distance. USC ended up shooting 50.0% at the free throw line by making 10 of their 20 tries. Moreover, USC snagged 23 rebounds (6 offensive, 17 defensive), but didn't notch a block. USC doled out 11 dimes and had 12 steals in the game. Regarding the defense, UCLA allowed 44.0% from the field on 22 of 50 shooting. They also recorded 9 assists for the matchup while forcing 13 turnovers and having 6 steals. When it comes to grabbing rebounds, they compiled a total of 29 with 8 of them being offensive. At the free throw line, the Bruins converted 16 of 18 attempts for a percentage of 88.9%. UCLA wrapped up the game having earned a 33.3% field goal percentage (18 of 54) and knocked down 4 out of their 19 3-pointers.

Adem Bona is a guy who was a major contributor for the game. He notched 14 points on 5 out of 5 shooting. He was on the court for 24 minutes played and also totaled 3 rebounds. He went 100.0% from the field but finished the game without a dime.

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UCLA heads into this matchup with a win-loss record of 14-13 this year. They average 65.9 points per contest (337th in college hoops) on 41.4% from the floor. The Bruins are connecting on 31.5% on shots from downtown (139 of 441) and 73.0% from the charity stripe. As a team, UCLA is collecting 34.8 rebounds per contest and has accounted for 301 assists for the season, which is 338th in the country in terms of passing the rock. They turn it over 11.2 times per contest and as a squad are committing 18.3 personal fouls per contest.

When they are on the defensive end, the Bruins are able to force 12.3 turnovers per game and they draw 18.9 personal fouls. They are currently ranked 19th in the nation in allowing assists with 292 conceded so far this year. The Bruins defensively are giving up an opponent shooting percentage of 41.6% (593 of 1,427) and they relinquish 31.9 boards per contest as a group. They give up 32.5% on 3-point shots and they rank 16th in college hoops in PPG allowed (64.0).

When they last stepped on the hardwood, the Washington State Cougars took a defeat with a final score of 73-61 when they faced Arizona State. When talking about rebounding, Washington State permitted Arizona State to pull down 35 in all (11 on the offensive side). They wrapped up this game 42.9% from distance by shooting 6 out of 14 and ended up going 9 out of 11 at the free throw line (81.8%). The Cougars allowed Arizona State to knock down 29 of their 59 tries from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 49.2% for this game. When the game finished, the Cougars finished shooting 24 for 61 from the field which had them sitting at 39.3%. Pertaining to 3-point attempts, Washington State converted 3 out of their 18 tries (16.7%). They were able to make 10 of those for a percentage of 83.3%. Arizona State was called for 13 personal fouls for this contest which got the Cougars to the free throw line for a total of 12 attempts. They also coughed it up 11 times, while recording 5 steals in this game. The Cougars earned 20 defensive rebounds and 13 offensive boards totaling 33 for the game.

Isaac Jones was important for the Cougars for this game. He converted 6 of 11 in the matchup for a field goal rate of 54.5%, and had 11 rebounds. He racked up 16 points in his 32 minutes on the court and had 3 assists for the game.

Washington State has a record of 21-7 on the year. On the offensive side of the court, the Cougars are hitting on 47.0% from the floor, which ranks them 55th in D-1. Washington State has accounted for 2,101 pts this year (75.0 per game) and they grab 37.8 rebounds per contest. They are dishing out assists 12.5 times per contest (239th in Division 1) and they lose possession via turnover 10.5 times per contest. The Cougars commit 17.2 fouls per contest and they connect on 70.6% from the charity stripe.

The Cougars defensively are ranked 52nd in college basketball in points given up per game with 67.0. They are forcing their opponents into 10.6 TO's per game and allow teams to shoot 41.2% from the field (51st in college hoops). The Washington State defense surrenders 32.4% from downtown (165 of 510) and opponents are connecting on 74.9% of their foul shots. They allow 10.6 dimes and 32.3 rebounds every game, which is ranked 24th and 49th in those categories on the defensive end.

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Washington State

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