The UCLA Bruins take on the Stanford Cardinal. Check out our college basketball odds series for our UCLA Stanford prediction and pick. Find how to watch UCLA Stanford.
The UCLA Bruins are still not going to make the NCAA Tournament unless they somehow win the Pac-12 Tournament. UCLA has had a disastrous season and has let so many winnable games slip through its fingers. The Bruins have endured bad losses such as a home-court defeat to California and a home-court loss to Cal State Northridge. They couldn't beat the high-profile teams they played in the nonconference part of their schedule. They were blown out by Utah in Pac-12 play and blew a late lead at Arizona in a game which had the potential to change their season. The Bruins are a mess and their season has been a nightmare. That said, they have played better over the past three weeks. UCLA has won five of its last six games, beating the Oregon Ducks this past Saturday to move upward in the Pac-12 standings. Coach Mick Cronin might not have figured everything out, but he has at least halted this team's downward spiral and has gotten enough offense from his players to win games with some degree of consistency.
Now comes a road trip to the San Francisco Bay Area. UCLA lost to both Stanford and Cal at home in Westwood. This is a revenge tour for the Bruins. We will see if they are up to the task as they start in Palo Alto versus Stanford before playing in Berkeley over the weekend.
Here are the UCLA-Stanford College Basketball odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
College Basketball Odds: UCLA-Stanford Odds
UCLA Bruins: +3.5 (-110)
Stanford Cardinal: -3.5 (-110)
Over: 135.5 (-110)
Under: 135.5 (-110)
How To Watch UCLA vs Stanford
Time: 9:00 pm ET / 6:00 pm PT
TV: Pac-12 Network
Stream: fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why UCLA Could Cover the Spread
The Bruins are better now than they were when they lost to Stanford a few weeks ago. UCLA's offense doesn't bog down as much. Players are playing with more confidence and are not as burdened as they previously were. UCLA is mentally sharper. The players on this team did not quit on coach Mick Cronin. They are fighting hard for him and have new belief in themselves after a strong win over Oregon this past Saturday.
Stanford, meanwhile, played a Sunday night game at Arizona in which it nearly won. The performance was good, but Stanford is playing a Wednesday game here, meaning it has only two days of rest between games. Stanford might get caught here due to fatigue. UCLA will be fresher down the stretch.
Why Stanford Could Cover the Spread
The Cardinal are not steady or dependable, but they very nearly swept the Arizona Wildcats. Stanford led by 11 points at halftime in Tucson this Sunday and trailed by just four points (69-65) late in regulation before Arizona dominated the final three minutes to pull away. Stanford did, of course, beat Arizona 100-82 earlier in the season. The Cardinal stood up well against Arizona. If a team is talented enough that it can outscore Arizona over 80 game minutes (Stanford finished plus-7 in the 80 minutes it played versus the U of A this season), it has considerable potential.
Stanford has already beaten UCLA on the road. It can certainly take care of the Bruins at home, and the spread is not that large, either. The Cardinal can easily cover.
Final UCLA-Stanford Prediction & Pick
Neither team is reliable, so stay away from this game. Maybe wait for a live play.
Final UCLA-Stanford Prediction & Pick: UCLA +3.5