College Basketball Odds, Picks, Predictions Today: Will UCLA Rebound Against Iowa?
Among Friday night’s odds for college basketball, the UCLA Bruins (11-6, 2-4) host the Iowa Hawkeyes (12-5, 3-3) at Pauley Pavilion. After suffering four straight losses, the Bruins are no longer in my college basketball power rankings. Nevertheless, they’re UCLA Bruins -24.5 (-112) on DraftKings spread favorites. The total is 163.5 (-110) on FanDuel. Let’s break down the odds for UCLA vs. Iowa, including same-game parlay options.
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ucla vs. iowa odds: spread, moneyline, total
Iowa at UCLA: Player Props
College Basketball Futures Odds
You can search for the best futures betting odds for UCLA, Iowa, or any other team below. For more March Madness odds, click “Show all bets.”
College basketball betting Pick: UCLA -6.5
Bettors familiar with my write-ups know I rarely lay three possessions for college basketball point spreads, yet the odds for UCLA and Iowa represent an excellent situational spot. This term refers to certain conditions in which teams have surpassed or fallen short of their usual performance level — relative to the moneyline or spread.
Granted, the market typically charges a tax for home teams in a bounce-back spot. The Bruins are no exception, as my raw numbers favor them by roughly six points. I’m still willing to bet on this spread with Mick Cronin’s bunch in desperation mode in an attempt to halt their losing skid.
Why Bruins Should Recover
In Thursday’s presser, Cronin harped on the Bruins’ scheduling disadvantage. They’ve traveled approximately 7,700 miles and 20 hours to play four games in January.
This aspect of conference realignment has undoubtedly impacted how I’ve handicapped Big 10 play. However, Cronin’s bunch has struggled against more physical competition, which Maryland and Rutgers recently provided. It was also bound for some shooting regression. During this four-game stretch, UCLA shot 21.2% from behind the arc while its opponents combined for a 38% clip.
These concerns are not as pressing against Iowa’s more finesse group. The Hawkeyes don’t rely on their guard-oriented, pick-and-roll action, which gave the Bruins fits on their East Coast swing. Additionally, Iowa has accrued the league’s second-worst rebounding rate at both ends — another issue for Cronin’s squad.
Conversely, UCLA often operates through the 6-foot-9 Tyler Bilodeau and its low-post action. Iowa’s post-up defense settles in the 28th percentile on a points-per-possession basis. It tumbles to the seventh percentile of shots allowed at the rim (via CBB Analytics).
If Bilodeau and Co. are effective from that vicinity, the Bruins should excel playing inside out and receive a dose of favorable shooting luck. Although I wasn’t a fan of Cronin’s roster construction, their perimeter efficiency will eventually reverse course, especially for Skyy Clark (14.3%), Biladeau (25%), and Lazar Stefanovic (29.4%), who have shot dreadfully over this span.
Injury-wise, Cronin stated that combo guard Dylan Andrews (illness) is near 100% after tallying only five minutes in Monday’s loss at Rutgers.
UCLA-Iowa Odds: Final Thoughts
Per the betslip below, I placed a bet on the opening spread of UCLA -6.5 (-110), which you’ll find in our sports betting Discord channel. Head to the #roles server to enroll in push notifications. I expect the Bruins to win by a few possessions against the Big Ten’s most inept defense.
Best of luck with your bets on the odds for UCLA vs. Iowa!
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