Another thrilling college basketball Saturday is upon us, so I bring you the best betting pick for the Pac-12 Conference showdown between the Oregon State Beavers and No. 23 UCLA Bruins along with the latest odds on DraftKings Sportsbook.
The Beavers head to Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles as 11.5-point underdogs with a total of 134.5 points. They’ve lost three of their last four encounters with the Bruins, but the Beavers have covered the spread in 13 of their previous 16 games against UCLA.
Oregon State wraps up a three-game road trip in LA
The Oregon State Beavers (8-6; 4-4 Conf.) are coming off a 75-62 defeat at the USC Trojans this past Thursday, putting an end to a three-game win streak. After a couple of home wins over Arizona State 80-79 and USC 58-56, the Beavers beat the No. 21 Oregon Ducks on the road last Saturday, 75-64.
Oregon State is now 146th in the NCAA NET Rankings and 127th in the KenPom rankings. The Beavers score 106.8 points per 100 possessions (89th in the country) and surrender 102.6 in a return (175th) while averaging 64.9 possessions per 40 minutes (334th).
Senior guard Ethan Thompson leads the way for the Beavers, notching 16.4 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 3.9 assists per game. Sophomore guard Jarod Lucas tallies 13.2 points per contest while making 42.9% of his 3-pointers, and junior forward Warith Alatishe adds 8.9 points and 8.1 boards a night.
UCLA postponed a two-game set with Oregon
The UCLA Bruins (12-3; 8-1 Conf.) haven’t played since last Saturday and their first Pac-12 loss of the season. The Bruins had to postpone a two-game series because of the COVID-19 issues within the Oregon Ducks team, so they are coming off a 73-72 overtime loss at the Stanford Cardinal.
UCLA entered this week as the No. 23 in the AP Top 25 Poll. The Bruins are No. 31 in the NCAA NET Rankings and 27 in the latest KenPom rankings, scoring 116.0 points per 100 possessions (12th) and yielding 97.2 in a return (85th). As well as their next opponents, the Bruins play at a very slow pace of 64.3 possessions per 40 minutes (341st).
Four UCLA players average points in double figures, and sophomore guards Jaime Jaquez (12.9 PPG, 5.7 RPG) and Tyger Campbell (11.7 PPG, 6.2 APG) lead the way for the Bruins. Junior forward Cody Riley averages 10.2 points and 5.7 boards, while sophomore guard Johnny Juzang tallies 12.4 points a night.
Oregon State:
- 12-3-1 in the last 16 games against UCLA
- 5-0 ATS in the last five games played on Saturday
UCLA:
- 1-6-1 ATS in the last eight home games against Oregon State
The Bruins are double-digit favorites for a reason. They’re one of the best offensive teams in the nation, while the Beavers haven’t impressed defensively at all. However, the Bruins have some serious defensive issues, too, so I’m backing the Beavers to cover.
Oregon State should have enough offensive firepower to keep it close. The Beavers have played well over the last two weeks, improving a lot on the defensive end. Last time out, they’ve tried their best against USC on the road and kept it close for most of the clash, but in the last minute of the second half, the Beavers have allowed the Trojans a lot of easy points from the charity stripe.
Pick: Take Oregon State +11.5 at -110
The Total:
Although the total has gone under in the previous seven encounters between the Beavers and Bruins, I’m betting on the over this Saturday night. As I’ve mentioned, both teams play at a slow pace, but they also struggle a lot defensively.
Seven of the last nine matchups between Oregon State and UCLA produced more than 134 points in total. The over is 5-1 in UCLA’s last six games, and it is 6-1 in Oregon State’s previous seven tilts overall.
Pick: Go over 134.5 points at -115
