UCLA vs. Arizona State Odds
| UCLA Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-10.5 -110 | 130.5 -110o / -110u | -575 |
| Arizona State Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+10.5 -110 | 130.5 -110o / -110u | +410 |
This Pac-12 showdown features two teams at starkly different stages in their program development.
UCLA, the perennial blue blood, is finally acting accordingly in head coach Mick Cronin's third year in Westwood. Arizona State, the angsty up-and-comer, is struggling to find its footing under the fiery Bobby Hurley.
Arizona State will play host tonight, as UCLA travels from Tucson after an epic tilt against Arizona. The Bruins made a statement by knocking off Arizona two weeks ago, but the Wildcats exacted revenge on Thursday.
Now, UCLA must regroup after an emotionally-charged evening and avoid a potential landmine in Tempe. These same Wildcats found themselves in a dog fight with the Sun Devils, who are subtly rounding into form, last Saturday at home.
UCLA Bruins
The Bruins are starting to find their mojo, a scary proposition for the rest of the Pac-12.
A seemingly never-ending COVID-19 pause made us all forget about UCLA in December, but they've been as advertised since returning from "break."
Other than a tough overtime loss to Oregon and Thursday's revenge defeat at the hands of Arizona, no one's toppled UCLA in league play. In fact, the Bruins had covered four straight games against the number before Thursday, proof of their relative outperformance of the betting market's expectations.
Shining star Johnny Juzang returned to action Thursday after a two-game hiatus. He clocked a modest 29 minutes and posted a fairly pedestrian stat line — at least by his standards — in the Bruins' failed attempt at a season sweep of Arizona.
His floor general, Tyger Campbell, also struggled on Thursday and committed a bonehead fifth foul in a critical moment late in the game.
Both will need their A-game tonight, especially since Arizona State's potent frontline could pose issues for the wing-laden Bruins.
If there's a soft spot in ASU's defense, which boasts the highest block rate in Pac-12 play, it's on the perimeter, where Campbell and Juzang operate.
Arizona State Sun Devils
Hurley, strapped by an onslaught of injuries, has pressed every possible button in his coaching command center to date. He trotted out his ninth different starting lineup of the season last weekend in Arizona: DJ Horne, Jay Heath, Kimani Lawrence, Alonzo Gaffney and Jalen Graham.
After a competitive bout with the national title hopeful Wildcats, Hurley deployed that same group two nights ago against USC.
The calling card of this new fivesome? Size. Once known as "Guard U," Hurley, a former standout point guard at Duke, has rebranded this year's ASU squad with grit and physicality. He's doubling down on that identity with a traditional two-guard, one-wing, two-big lineup, with Gaffney and Graham holding down the fort up front.
With NBA prospect Marcus Bagley still injured on the shelf, Graham has risen to the occasion. The hometown kid has amassed double digits in the scoring column in five of his last six outings.
Tonight, he'll have his hands full with another formidable frontline, headlined by Cody Riley. Graham's two-way impact will be the X-factor in this matchup with the Bruins.
UCLA vs. Arizona State Betting Pick
There's nothing pretty about the Sun Devils right now, but they're being priced at a garage sale discount in the betting markets right now. Don't look now, but ASU has covered four of its last five games.
In two of those games, against Arizona and UCLA, Arizona State had a legitimate chance to pull off the upset. The Sun Devils trailed U of A by just four points with 10 minutes remaining in the second half and led USC by a point with under three minutes remaining two nights ago.
The point being, Arizona State's resume may look flawed, but this is a strong "buy low" team and is catching UCLA in a potential hangover just 48 hours after the Arizona clash.
Take the feisty Sun Devils with the points at anything above +10.
