The Pepperdine Waves will travel to Pauley Pavilion to take on the UCLA Bruins. Action starts at 10:30 pm ET on Thursday, Nov. 19 and will air on PAC.
The Bruins beat Cal Poly 88-83 on Sunday. Thomas Welsh was the game’s leading scorer with 22 points on 10-for-12 shooting. The Waves, meanwhile, are coming off a 91-49 win against San Diego Christian on Monday.
UCLA is a six-point favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is sitting at 149 points. The Bruins start the season off cold Against The Spread (ATS) with a 0-2 record, while sporting a 1-1 Straight Up (SU) record. UCLA is known to control the offensive glass, where they rack up an impressive 17.5 offensive rebounds per game. Pepperdine has a habit of getting in foul trouble (26.0 fouls per game), so expect the Bruins to get a number of opportunities from the free throw line.
Across the court, it’s hard to argue with the ATS failures of Pepperdine. The Waves are clearly doing something wrong with a 0-1 record ATS to go along with a 1-1 record SU so far. The Waves have one of the best opponent field-goal percentages in the nation at .331. Defensive rebounding is an area where Pepperdine has excelled. The Waves average 33.5 defensive rebounds per game, making them one of the best in the nation.
UCLA and Pepperdine meet for what will be their first head-to-head battle of the season. UCLA won the last game in the matchup, bringing its SU record to 4-1 over the Waves. Additionally, with a 3-2 record, UCLA has the advantage ATS.
Predictions: SU Winner – UCLA, ATS Winner – Pepper, O/U – Over
Notes
UCLA is 7-3 SU in its last 10 games.
UCLA is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games at home.
UCLA is 12-1 SU in its last 13 games at home.
The total has gone OVER in 5 of UCLA’s last 5 games at home.
UCLA is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Pepperdine.
The Pepperdine Waves have a defensive rating of 77.1 (ranked 24th), while the UCLA Bruins have an offensive rating of 105.8 (ranked 183rd).
Pepperdine has an average effective field goal percentage of 53.8%. UCLA is undefeated (1-0) when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
UCLA ranks 62nd in assists, recording 17.5 per game. Pepperdine ranks 74th with 17.0 assists per game.
UCLA is one of the best teams in the country when it comes to offensive rebounds, ranking 20th. Pepperdine ranks 13th in defensive rebounds.
UCLA makes an average of 5.0 steals per game. When Pepperdine gives up 5 or more steals, the team has an even 1-1 record.
