It will be a battle between Pac-12 opponents when the UCLA Bruins (14-11) welcome the Utah Runnin’ Utes (19-7) to Pauley Pavilion. Action gets underway at 10:00 pm ET on Thursday, Feb. 18 and will air on ES2 and ES3.
The Bruins were victorious over Arizona State 78-65 on Sunday. Jonah Bolden led all scorers on the team with 16 points on 6-for-11 shooting. The Runnin’ Utes, meanwhile, are coming off an 88-47 win over Washington State on Sunday. Jakob Poeltl played well, registering 25 points and 10 rebounds to claim his 10th double-double of the season.
The Bruins enter the game with records of 14-11 Straight Up (SU) and 10-15 Against The Spread (ATS). The Bruins have no trouble scoring as they rank 41st in the nation in offense with 79.0 points per game. Teams have a tough time keeping UCLA off of the offensive glass. They rank 46th in Division I in offensive rebounds. The UCLA defense has been on fire lately, allowing an average of 69.0 points per game, well under their season average of 76.6.
Across the court, the Runnin’ Utes have records of 11-13-1 ATS and 19-7 SU. They sport the 39th-ranked scoring offense in the country, averaging 79.1 points per game. The Runnin’ Utes are one of the top teams in the country at finding the open man with an average of 15.8 assists per game. The Runnin’ Utes average 69.5 points allowed per game, but have damaged those numbers in the past 10 games, allowing 76.8 points per game during that span. Defensive rebounding is an area where Utah has excelled. The Runnin’ Utes average 28.0 defensive rebounds per game, making them one of the best in the nation.
UCLA and Utah will be squaring off for the first time this season. In their most recent meeting a season ago, UCLA came out on top, bringing its SU record to 4-2 over Utah in their most recent games. The teams have an even record ATS, 3-3. Utah held the advantage in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers once in the last five matchups. On the other side of the court, UCLA never accomplished this feat in that span.
Predictions: SU Winner – Utah, ATS Winner – Utah
Notes
UCLA averages 79.0 points per game (ranked 41st). Utah, on the other hand, allows 69.5 points per game (ranked 101st).
UCLA averages 80.6 points per home game (ranked 66th). Utah allows 69.3 points per away game (ranked 44th).
Ranked 22nd, the Utah Runnin’ Utes have an offensive rating of 115.1. The UCLA Bruins rank 230th with a defensive rating of just 105.6.
Utah has the ninth-ranked average field goal percentage at 49.6%. UCLA has not won a game this season when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage (0-3).
The UCLA Bruins average 16.0 three point attempts per game and are 3-2 when attempting at least 20 in a game. The Utah Runnin’ Utes average 20.0 attempts and have an exceptional record (11-2) when attempting 20 or more.
UCLA ranks 73rd in the nation with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.23, while Utah ranks 63rd with an A/TO of 1.26.
UCLA, the 22nd-ranked team in rebounding, registers an average of 40.8 rebounds per game. Utah ranks 98th with 37.8.
Utah ranks 263rd in offensive rebounds, while UCLA ranks at 32nd in defensive rebounds.
UCLA averages a forced turnover rate of 16.2% this season. Utah has a 9-6 record when it suffers a turnover rate equal to or exceeding this.
