March Madness is finally here and this year's NCAA Tournament is likely to be filled with a lot of exciting matchups, and even more exciting finishes. That very well might be the case between the Akron Zips and the UCLA Bruins. The East region of the bracket its one of the better teams in the country this year in UCLA against the Mid-American Conference Tournament champions. The Bruins are looking to re-capture some of the magic from last year. UCLA was a part of the play-in games and ended up making it all the way to the Final Four. Meanwhile, Akron is making its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2013. So, let's reveal our March Madness odds series with a prediction, odds and pick from the Akron-UCLA game.

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The Akron Zips enter the NCAA Tournament riding an eight-game win streak. That includes winning the Mid-American Conference Tournament for the first time since 2013. They finished the regular season 14-6 in conference, which was only good enough for third place behind Toledo and Kent State. But the Zips beat Toledo and then hammered Kent State in the conference tournament. Clearly, they are going to be ready.

UCLA had a very strong season after making that Final Four run last year. UCLA finished second in the Pac-12 behind only Arizona, who earned a #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament this year. The Bruins are also playing well entering the tournament, having won eight of their last 10 games. Their level of competition was obviously a step up from Akron, hence the large point spread in this 13-4 matchup.

So, let's dive right into the Akron-UCLA game with a prediction, odds and a pick.

Click here for the odds to the Akron-UCLA NCAA Tournament game, courtesy of FanDuel.

March Madness Odds: Akron-UCLA Odds

UCLA: -13.5 (-110)

Akron: +13.5 (-110)

Over: 128.5 (-110)

Under: 128.5 (-110)

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Why UCLA Could Cover the Spread

The Bruins are obviously the more talented college basketball team. They earned a #4 seed in the tournament despite dealing with a lot this season. UCLA has been as banged up as almost any this season. Guard Tyger Campbell, guard/forward Peyton Watson and leading scorer Johnny Juzang have all missed time with various injuries.

Not to mention, forward Mac Etienne was arrested for spitting at fans in Arizona. Later, he underwent surgery to repair his ACL, costing him the rest of the season. Yet, that did not stop them from finishing the year 25-7, and finishing second in the Pac-12 Tournament. They lost the finals to the Arizona Wildcats.

UCLA is a balanced offensive club, with four guys scoring in double figures. They are also a relatively deep team. UCLA goes nine-deep in the rotation regularly, with eight of them playing at least 17 minutes per game. That has allowed them to stay fresh late in game. UCLA has been very good at closing out games this season because of that.

One of the most impressive things about this team is the ability to protect the basketball. UCLA only commits 9.2 turnovers per game. That is second best in the entire country, out of over 300 schools. When the games get tight, they do not beat themselves.

Why Akron Could Cover the Spread

For beginners, Akron could cover the spread simply because 13.5 points is a large spread. The days of top four seeds just rolling their way into the second round are over. We even finally saw a number one seed (Virginia) lose in the first round a couple of years ago.

Particularly with this matchup, Akron will likely look to take advantage of the three-ball. The Zips shoot just under 36 percent from downtown, and UCLA has had a number of defensive lapses this season, allowing teams to shoot from the outside well. Akron's leading scorer, Ali Ali, knocks down over 41 percent of his three pointers. If he gets hot, it could be lights out for UCLA.

The Zips have a ton of momentum coming into this tournament and will look to continue their hot play.

Final Akron-UCLA Prediction & Pick

I believe that Akron will be able to hang around for at least the first half. But as this game wears on, UCLA will exert its will and overpowering talent and cover the spread. It likely will be sitting around the 13.5 spread for much of the final ten minutes, but UCLA's efficiency at the free throw line should propel them to cover.

Final Pick: UCLA -13.5 (-110)