Penn State Nittany Lions vs UCLA Bruins Prediction, 2/8/2025 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Penn State Nittany Lions vs UCLA Bruins

Date: Saturday, February 8, 2025

Location: Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles, CA

TV: BTN

Pauley Pavilion is the location where the UCLA Bruins (17-6) will take on the Penn State Nittany Lions (13-10) on Saturday.

The Penn State Nittany Lions stepped onto the hardwood against Minnesota and took a loss by a score of 69-61 in their last contest. Penn State ended the game having earned a 34.5% field goal percentage (20 of 58) and knocked down 6 of 20 shots from beyond the perimeter. From the free throw line, the Nittany Lions made 15 of 20 attempts for a rate of 75.0%. With regard to pulling down boards, they earned 28 with 12 of them being on the offensive end. They also distributed 11 assists for the matchup as well as forcing the opposition into 11 turnovers and earning 8 steals. In regard to the defense, Penn State allowed 53.1% from the field on 26 of 49 shooting. Minnesota earned 12 assists and had 9 steals in this contest. On top of that, Minnesota collected 33 boards (9 offensive, 24 defensive), but wasn't able to record a block. Minnesota ended up going 80.0% when shooting free throws by knocking down 12 of 15 tries. They converted 5 of their 14 tries from 3-point land. In regard to fouls, the Nittany Lions finished with 17 and Minnesota totaled 19 fouls.

D'Marco Dunn is one guy who was a factor in the matchup. He walked away with 18 points on 6 of 11 shooting. He saw the court for 32 mins played and also pulled down 6 rebounds. He went 54.5% from the floor and dished out 3 dimes.

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Penn State will play this contest with a mark of 13-10 for the season. They average 81.4 points per outing (33rd in college) while connecting on 48.1% from the field. The Nittany Lions are hitting 34.4% on 3-point shots (165 of 480) and 74.7% from the charity stripe. As a unit, Penn State is snagging 34.4 boards per game and has accounted for 379 assists on the campaign, which is 31st in Division 1 in terms of passing. They turn it over 11.9 times per contest and as a unit they commit 16.7 fouls per contest.

When they are on the defensive end, the Nittany Lions have forced 15.1 turnovers on a nightly basis and they draw 20.1 fouls. They currently rank 347th in Division 1 in giving up assists to their opponents with 370 surrendered this year. The Nittany Lions defense is allowing an opponent FG percentage of 44.8% (603 of 1,345) and they relinquish 34.0 rebounds per contest as a group. They are giving up 33.8% on shots from distance while they are 216th in Division 1 in PPG allowed (72.5).

In their last game, the UCLA Bruins took home the win by a final score of 63-61 when they faced Michigan State. When discussing rebounding, UCLA permitted Michigan State to get 41 overall (12 on the offensive glass). They finished the game shooting 22.7% from beyond the arc by shooting 5 of 22 and walked away from this one shooting 16 out of 19 from the free throw line (84.2%). The Bruins permitted Michigan State to make 20 of 53 tries from the floor which gave them a rate of 37.7% for the matchup. When this game wrapped up, the Bruins went 21 for 60 from the floor which had them shooting 35.0%. Concerning shots from 3-point land, UCLA buried 7 out of 28 attempts (25.0%). They were able to knock down 14 of those for a percentage of 73.7%. Michigan State was called for 15 fouls for the game which took the Bruins to the charity stripe for a total of 19 shots. They also coughed up the ball 3 times, while getting 8 steals in this matchup. The Bruins snagged 18 defensive rebounds and 6 offensive rebounds for a total of 24 for the game.

Skyy Clark ended up having an impact for the Bruins in this matchup. He made 3 of 10 for the game for a field goal rate of 30.0%, and added 3 rebounds. He earned 14 points in his 34 mins on the court and accumulated 3 assists for this contest.

UCLA has a mark of 17-6 so far this year. The Bruins have committed 18.1 fouls per game and they hit 70.7% from the free throw line. They are getting an assist 15.7 times per contest (66th in college hoops) and they turn the ball over 11.0 times per contest. UCLA has accounted for 1,735 points this year (75.4 per game) and they collect 32.4 boards per game. On the offensive side of the court, the Bruins are shooting 46.8% from the floor, which is ranked 77th in the country.

The Bruins on defense are ranked 20th in Division 1 in PPG surrendered with 64.3. They have forced 16.2 TO's per game and have let teams shoot 42.6% from the floor (125th in college). The UCLA defense allows 31.9% on shots from beyond the arc (166 of 521) and their opponents are knocking down 72.5% of their foul shots. They have allowed 12.7 dimes and 31.3 rebounds on a nightly basis, which ranks 153rd and 29th in the nation.

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take UCLA

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