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It's time to continue our College Basketball odds series with a Washington-UCLA prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Washington-UCLA.
The college basketball season has a terrific slate of games on Tuesday. Kentucky plays Clemson in one of the biggest games of the night. When that game ends, you will be able to change the channel and switch over to the second half of this Big Ten basketball game between Washington and UCLA. That's right. This is no longer a Pac-12 game. It's Big Ten country now in Westwood, as UCLA begins its new era in a new league.
UCLA and Washington both have just one loss so far this season. UCLA, however, has no high-end wins. The Bruins' one really big test came against New Mexico, and they were run out of the building. This game is hugely important for Mick Cronin and his reworked UCLA roster. The Bruins urgently need to prove to themselves — more than the outside world — that they are good and are capable of doing something special on the court. UCLA does not look especially imposing, but if the Bruins can emphatically defeat Washington, they might begin to change not only perception, but reality, in their first Big Ten season. Grabbing a conference win against a West Coast competitor might be just the thing to settle everyone down and get the Bruins' season pointed in the right direction.
Washington is in Year 1 of new coach Danny Sprinkle's tenure. Sprinkle came to Seattle from Utah State, where he molded the Aggies into an NCAA Tournament program. Early returns are encouraging. Sprinkle and Washington just defeated two good Western college basketball programs, Colorado State and Santa Clara, to boost not only their resume, but also their confidence. This roster is beginning to mesh on the floor, and that should give Sprinkle a lot of belief that he can mold this team into a bubble team for the NCAA Touranment. Washington does not have to wait a full year to compete for a spot in March Madness. A win on the road at UCLA would put the Huskies ahead of schedule. It would also affirm the belief held among many in the college basketball coaching industry that UW made a very good hire with Sprinkle.
Here are the Washington-UCLA College Basketball Odds, courtesy of FanDuel
College Basketball Odds: Washington-UCLA Odds
Washington: +13.5 (-114)
Moneyline: +680
UCLA: -13.5 (-106)
Moneyline: -1100
Over: 135.5 (-114)
Under: 135.5 (-106)
How to Watch Washington vs UCLA
Article Continues Below
Time: 10:30 p.m. ET / 7:30 p.m. PT
TV: FS1
Stream: fuboTV (Free Trial)
Why Washington Will Cover The Spread/Win
The spread is ridiculously large when you realize that Washington is coming off good wins over Colorado State and Santa Clara. Those wins are better than any wins UCLA has collected this season, and those wins came away from home, too. UCLA has not been especially convincing in the early stages of this season. The line for this game seems dramatically off, not just by a few points but by a large number. UCLA minus 6.5 seems like a much more accurate reflection of where these teams stand, combined with pricing in UCLA being at home. This is the single best play of the night in college basketball: Washington plus the 13.5 points. The line will very likely move lower before tipoff.
Why UCLA Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Bruins have yet to truly break out this season. It's long overdue for UCLA to put together a complete game and blast Washington out of the water.
Final Washington-UCLA Prediction & Pick
This is the best bet of the whole slate on Tuesday: Washington plus the points. The spread is way, way too generous to UCLA.
Final Washington-UCLA Prediction & Pick: Washington +13.5
