UCLA Bruins vs Northwestern Wildcats Prediction, 3/3/2025 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: UCLA Bruins vs Northwestern Wildcats

Date: Monday, March 3, 2025

Location: Welsh-Ryan Arena in Newark, NJ

TV: FS1

The UCLA Bruins (20-8) are traveling to Welsh-Ryan Arena on Monday where they will take on the Northwestern Wildcats (15-13).

The UCLA Bruins took the court against Ohio State and walked away with a win by a score of 69-61 in their last contest. In relation to personal fouls, the Bruins ended up with 16 while Ohio State totaled 16 personal fouls. They knocked down 6 out of their 27 attempts from beyond the perimeter. Ohio State finished shooting 93.8% at the free throw line by converting 15 of 16 tries. Furthermore, Ohio State grabbed 28 rebounds (10 offensive, 18 defensive), but wasn't able to record a rejection. Ohio State totaled 10 dimes and had 8 steals in the matchup. Regarding defending, UCLA let their opponent shoot 31.7% from the field on 20 out of 63 shooting. They also dished out 17 dimes for the game while forcing the opposition into 8 turnovers and earning 7 steals. In the matter of pulling down rebounds, they earned a total of 38 with 13 of them being on the offensive end. From the free throw line, the Bruins buried 15 of their 20 shots for a percentage of 75.0%. UCLA ended the game with a 40.4% field goal percentage (23 of 57) and knocked down 8 out of their 20 shots from beyond the arc.

Eric Dailey Jr. is a guy who was a factor for this contest. He finished with 20 points on 8 of 15 shooting. He was on the court for 33 minutes played and also snagged 8 rebounds. He walked away from this one shooting 53.3% from the floor and also totaled 1 assist.

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UCLA will play this contest with a record of 20-8 on the year. They average 74.8 points per game (154th in the nation) while connecting on 46.6% from the field. The Bruins are hitting 35.5% on 3-pointers (204 of 575) and 70.2% from the charity stripe. As a unit, UCLA is pulling down 32.5 rebounds per game and has totaled 444 dimes so far this season, which ranks 62nd in the country in terms of passing the ball. They lose possession via turnover 10.6 times per game and as a squad are committing 17.5 personal fouls on a nightly basis.

When they are on defense, the Bruins are able to force 15.6 turnovers per contest and they draw 17.9 fouls. They give up 31.2% on 3-pointers and they are 21st in the nation in PPG allowed (64.6). The Bruins are giving up a field goal percentage of 42.3% (611 of 1,444) and they concede 31.6 boards per game as a squad. They rank 105th in Division 1 in allowing assists to the opposition with 349 relinquished for the year.

In their last game, the Northwestern Wildcats walked away with a victory by a final of 75-63 when they played Minnesota. Concerning team rebounding, Northwestern allowed Minnesota to snag 31 overall (10 offensive). They finished 26.3% from behind the 3-point line by connecting on 5 of 19 and ended up going 10 of 14 at the free throw line (71.4%). The Wildcats permitted Minnesota to bury 24 out of 57 attempts from the field which had them sitting at 42.1% in the matchup. When the final whistle was blown, the Wildcats finished 28 out of 57 from the floor which had them shooting 49.1%. In relation to three-point attempts, Northwestern knocked down 9 of 19 tries (47.4%). They were able to knock down 10 of them for a percentage of 62.5%. Minnesota committed 17 fouls in the matchup which got the Wildcats to the free throw line for 16 attempts. They gave up possession 8 times, while getting 6 steals in this game. The Wildcats were able to collect 23 defensive boards and 5 offensive rebounds totaling 28 in this game.

Nick Martinelli was important for the Wildcats in this contest. He had 29 points in his 34 mins of playing time and accumulated 1 assist for this game. He converted 11 of 20 in this contest for a rate of 55.0%, and had 5 rebounds.

Northwestern has a record of 15-13 this season. When it comes to executing on offense, the Wildcats are shooting 44.4% from the field, which is ranked 204th in D-1. Northwestern has earned 2,057 pts on the year (73.5 per contest) and they average 34.2 rebounds per game. Their rate of earning assists is at 14.5 times per game (127th in the country) and they are giving up possession 9.9 times per contest. The Wildcats have committed 17.6 personal fouls per game and they connect on 73.3% from the charity stripe.

The Northwestern defense surrenders 33.9% on 3-point shots (201 of 593) and their opponents are connecting on 74.4% of their shots from the free throw line. They have surrendered 14.4 assists and 33.6 rebounds every game, which has them ranked 290th and 140th in the country. The Wildcats on the defensive side of the court are 100th in D-1 in points given up per game with 69.4. They are forcing 13.6 turnovers per game and allow teams to shoot 43.7% from the floor (178th in Division 1).

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take UCLA

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