Michigan Wolverines vs UCLA Bruins Prediction, 1/7/2025 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Michigan Wolverines vs UCLA Bruins

Date: Tuesday, January 7, 2025

Location: Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles, CA

TV: Peacock

The Michigan Wolverines (11-3) are hitting the road to Pauley Pavilion on Tuesday where they will attempt to defeat the UCLA Bruins (11-3).

The Michigan Wolverines faced off with USC and notched a win by a score of 85-74 in their last contest. Michigan wrapped up the game having earned a 52.7% FG percentage (29 out of 55) and made 10 of 24 shots from beyond the arc. At the free throw line, the Wolverines made 17 of their 21 tries for a rate of 81.0%. In regard to rebounding, they compiled 31 with 7 of them being on the offensive end. They also doled out 19 assists in the matchup as well as forcing 12 turnovers and earning 8 steals. When discussing defending, Michigan allowed the other team to go 43.5% from the floor on 27 out of 62 shooting. USC doled out 19 dimes and had 5 steals for this contest. Additionally, USC pulled down 26 boards (9 offensive, 17 defensive), but didn't notch a rejection. USC finished shooting 63.6% at the free throw line by burying 14 of 22 shots. They knocked down 6 of their 18 attempts from distance. Regarding personal fouls, the Wolverines left the arena with 21 and USC finished the game with 21 personal fouls.

Danny Wolf is one guy who had an impact for this contest. He ended up shooting 75.0% from the field and also distributed 7 assists. He was on the court for 33 minutes and totaled 13 boards. He walked away with 21 points on 9 of 12 shooting.

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Michigan will play this game with a win-loss mark of 11-3 for the season. They are turning it over 15.1 times per game and as a unit are committing 16.6 personal fouls every game. As a unit, Michigan is pulling in 39.4 rebounds per game and has accounted for 246 dimes on the season, which has them ranked 57th in college in terms of passing the ball. The Wolverines are connecting on 36.6% on three-point shots (131 of 358) and 71.9% from the charity stripe. They currently have an average of 84.1 points per contest (27th in D-1) on 51.3% from the floor.

Defensively, the Wolverines are forcing their opponents into 13.9 turnovers per game while drawing 19.0 personal fouls. They currently rank 9th in college hoops in giving up assists to their opponents with 130 relinquished so far this season. The Wolverines defense is allowing a FG percentage of 38.9% (338 of 869) and they surrender 31.2 boards per contest as a team. They are giving up 29.8% from 3-point land and they rank 82nd in college hoops in points per game allowed (67.1).

When they last stepped on the court, the UCLA Bruins took a loss by a score of 66-58 against Nebraska. The Bruins pulled down 26 defensive boards and 6 offensive rebounds totaling 32 for this contest. They also gave up possession 15 times, while recording 5 steals for this game. Nebraska was called for 16 fouls for this game which got the Bruins to the free throw line for a total of 13 tries. They were able to knock down 10 of the free throw tries for a rate of 76.9%. In regard to shooting from 3-point land, UCLA buried 4 of 28 attempts (14.3%). Overall, the Bruins finished the game shooting 22 out of 57 from the floor which had them shooting 38.6%. The Bruins allowed Nebraska to convert 17 out of 52 attempts from the field which had them shooting 32.7% in this matchup. They wrapped up this game 28.0% from three-point range by going 7 out of 25 and finished the contest at 25 of 29 from the charity stripe (86.2%). When talking about how they cleaned up the glass, UCLA allowed Nebraska to snag 35 in all (7 on the offensive glass).

Tyler Bilodeau was important for the Bruins for the contest. He recorded 15 points in his 33 minutes on the hardwood, but wrapped up this contest with no dimes. He converted 6 out of 9 in the matchup for a field goal percentage of 66.7%, and had 5 rebounds.

UCLA has a win-loss record of 11-3 so far this year. On the offensive side of the ball, the Bruins are connecting on 46.7% from the floor, which ranks 109th in the country. UCLA has scored 1,064 points on the year (76.0 per game) and they grab 34.6 rebounds per game. They are dishing out assists 16.4 times per contest (65th in the country) and they turn the ball over 11.7 times per contest. The Bruins have committed 18.2 fouls every game and they shoot 69.2% from the free throw line.

The Bruins on defense are ranked 7th in D-1 in points per game surrendered with 59.2. They are forcing their opponents into 17.8 turnovers per game and have let teams shoot 39.5% from the floor (35th in college hoops). The UCLA defense concedes 29.5% on shots from distance (89 of 302) and opponents are connecting on 71.4% of their shots from the free throw line. They have given up 11.9 dimes and 31.6 boards every game, which is ranked 99th and 46th in those categories.

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Michigan

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