This game features two teams that have pulled off shocking wins early in the tournament. The Abilene Christian Wildcats take on the UCLA Bruins in a bout that is scheduled for two halves. The 11 vs. 14 seeded round of 32 matchup is the lowest-seeded game of the second round. With ACU pulling off the second-biggest upset of the first round and UCLA having to win two games to get here, we see two teams with serious momentum facing off tonight on TBS. It’s time to continue the NCAA odds series and make an Abilene Christian-UCLA prediction and pick.

Here is how the sportsbooks set the odds for this game.

NCAA Odds: Abilene Christian-UCLA Odds

Abilene ChristianWildcats +5 (-110)

UCLA Bruins -5 (-110)

Over 133 (-110)

Under 133 (-11o)

Why Abilene Christian Could Cover the Spread

Abilene Christian is just grateful to be playing in March as it is their first tournament appearance in school history. The Wildcats program has been steadily improving since making the jump from Division II to Division I a few years ago. They most certainly pulled off their biggest win to date in their victory against the third-seeded Texas Longhorns on Saturday night. The 53-52 win saw the Wildcats turn the Longhorns over 23 times. This describes ACU's style of play quite well as the Wildcats led the nation in creating turnovers in '21.

There's no doubt that this team lives and dies on the defensive end. The Wildcats are built around defensive responsible and intensity. The offense has struggled recently. ACU didn't shoot the ball particularly well in the win but had solid outings from Coryon Mason and big man Joe Pleasant. Pleasant hit the game-winning free throws with just seconds left on the clock. The Wildcats created second-chance points on eighteen offensive rebounds, which is definitely a consistent formula for success. With a record of 8-1 ATS in their last nine games and an upset win as 8.5-point dogs on Saturday night, the Wildcats are red hot at the right time.

Why UCLA Could Cover the Spread

UCLA is playing some of its best basketball of the season right now. The Bruins have secured two wins to reach the round of 32. They've covered the spread in their two wins against Michigan State and BYU. The 2021 tournament marks UCLA's 50th appearance in school history, which certainly gives them the experience edge as a program on Monday night. The Bruins have seen success all year, thanks in large part to sophomore Johnny Juzang (14.5 ppg). Juzang dropped 27 on 10-16 shooting in the win against BYU. After securing their first win in regulation in almost a month, UCLA is feeling themselves.

The Bruins have been beating teams all year from beyond the arc and have shot the lights out in the tournament thus far. UCLA went 9-18 against Michigan State and 8-19 against BYU from 3-point land. They've seen a couple of nice performances from Jules Bernard and Jaime Jaquez Jr. as well and will need them to continue their success as Juzang is almost certainly going to see more attention in coming games. With back-to-back covers entering the round of 32, the UCLA Bruins are a cinderella contender.

Final Abilene Christian-UCLA Prediction & Pick

I'm excited for this high-intensity matchup between two teams that have nothing to lose. Their confidence has to be through the roof. Abilene Christian will come out with the same intensity on the defensive end. UCLA will play high-energy defense and will have a huge edge on the offensive end of the floor. Abilene Christian struggles on that end, especially from deep. UCLA will swarm the paint and limit the Wildcats offensive rebounding opportunities in route to a win and a Sweet Sixteen birth. Look for this one to be rather close throughout with UCLA pulling away late.

FINAL PICK: UCLA -5 (-110)