The Thursday college basketball betting market is bereft of high-profile matchups, as only five Top 25 squads are in action (and none are facing one another). That said, there’s an intriguing late-night Pac-12 battle in Los Angeles, where No. 13 UCLA hosts Washington State.
The Bruins, who not long ago were a top-five outfit, are looking to get back on track after an unsuccessful four-game conference road swing. Meanwhile, the Cougars — who have been more up and down than a middle-aged man in the middle of the night — are in need of victories to salvage their NCAA Tournament hopes.
Can UCLA post its first double-digit victory in nearly three weeks (and in the process cash tickets for those backing the Bruins in the Thursday college basketball betting market)? Or will Washington State keep things close and perhaps challenge for the outright upset?
Props.com breaks down the Thursday college basketball betting odds for Washington State-UCLA.
Odds via PointsBet USA and updated as of 12:15 p.m. ET on Feb. 17.
Washington State Vs No. 13 UCLA
Tipoff/TV: 11 p.m. ET/FS1
Washington State: 14-10 SU (7-6 Pac-12)/11-13 ATS
UCLA: 17-5 SU (9-4 Pac-12)/10-11-1 ATS
Spread/Total: UCLA -9.5/129.5
Last meeting: Washington State scored an 81-73 upset of the Bruins as a 3.5-point home favorite (Feb. 11, 2021)
Did you know: The home team has won 13 of the last 15 series meetings (11-4 ATS), including the last four in a row (3-1 ATS)
About Washington State: The Cougars have been all over the proverbial map since Jan. 26, following a five-game winning streak with three straight losses. The skid started with home setbacks to Arizona (72-60 on Feb. 10) and Arizona State (58-55 on Saturday). Then on Monday, the Cougars traveled south to Oregon and fell 62-59 but cashed as a 5-point underdog. Washington State is 5-2 SU/ATS in true road games this season. Within the Pac-12, the Cougars rank first in scoring defense (allowing 62.5 ppg, 25th nationally), third in rebounds (37.7 per game), and fifth in steals (6.6 per contest), blocks (4.3 per game), and scoring offense (71.3 ppg).
About UCLA: Ranked as high as No. 3 nationally in mid-January, the Bruins have lost three of their last four games, including Saturday’s 67-64 defeat to crosstown rival USC as a 4-point road chalk. All four of those games were on the road. Now, UCLA returns to Pauley Pavilion, where it is 10-1 this season (6-4-1 ATS), the lone blemish being an 84-81 overtime loss to Oregon on Jan. 13. Among Pac-12 programs, UCLA ranks second in scoring offense (77.1 ppg) and steals (7.1 per game), third in rebounds (37.7 per contest), and fourth in assists (14.0 per game), field-goal shooting (44.5%), and 3-point proficiency (34.3%).
What’s At Stake: As a result of its recent slump, UCLA (9-4) now trails No. 3 Arizona by three games in the Pac-12 standings. Washington State (7-6) is fighting to stay above .500 in the conference. Even with their recent downturn (1-3 in February), the Bruins still rate 14th in the NCAA’s NET rankings, indicating a top-4 regional seed in the NCAA Tournament might still be viable. The Cougars are 47th in the NET rankings, and desperately need a résumé-enhancing victory against a prominent program.
Players To Watch
Washington State guard Michael Flowers had a team-high 23 points along with five rebounds in Monday’s loss at Oregon. The 6-foot-1 senior leads the Cougars in scoring (13.9 ppg) and assists (3.5 per game), and he ranks second in 3-point shooting (37.6%). He’s put up double-digit points in eight of his last 10 games, topping 20 points in three of his last five.
UCLA guard Tyger Campbell, who scored a season-high 27 points in Saturday’s close loss at USC, is averaging 12 points per game (one of four Bruins netting at least a dozen points per outing). In addition to being UCLA’s fourth-leading scorer, the 5-foot-11 junior ranks first in assists (4.6 per game) and steals (1.3 per game).
Notable Trends
- Washington State ended an 0-3 ATS slump with Monday’s spread-cover at Oregon
- Washington State is 10-4-1 ATS in its last 15 road games
- UCLA has followed a 4-0 ATS run with a 1-3 ATS drought
- UCLA is 3-0-1 ATS in its last four at home
- Under is 16-3 in Washington State’s last 19 overall
- Under is 11-2 in Washington State’s last 13 conference games
- Underdog is 9-4 ATS in the last 13 series battles
- Over is 4-0 in the last four head-to-head meetings
Washington State Vs UCLA Odds and Action
Update 5:30 p.m. ET: UCLA opened as a 9.5 point home favorite on PointsBet. The spread has held steady at UCLA -9.5 at the time of this update. PointsBet is reporting that 54% of tickets have sided with UCLA against the spread. However, 76% of the money is backing Washington State +9.5, so this one is shaping up to be a Pros vs. Joes situation … The total has marginally dropped from opening at 130.5 to the current over/under of 129.5. Despite that, PointsBet reports that 88% of tickets and 95% of money have been placed on the Over.
