Free College Basketball Picks: UCLA Bruins at Washington Huskies
Thursday, February 02, 2012
by Joe Rodriguez
If UCLA Bruins is going to be a player in the Pac-12 race, the Bruins are going to have to prove they can win on the road. Thursday's test at Washington Huskies will be a good place to start.
UCLA is 1-6 on the road this season and with an RPI ranking of 134, it certainly won't earn an NCAA Tournament berth unless it can solve those road woes immediately.
Winning at Washington, which UCLA hasn't done since 2004, won't be an easy task. The Huskies are 11-2 at Seattle and tied with California for first in the Pac-12.
- UCLA Bruins @ Washington Huskies
When: 9:00 PM ET, Thursday, February 2, 2012
Where: Alaska Airlines Arena at Hec Edmundson Pavilion, Seattle, Washington
TV: 9 p.m. ET, ESPN, ESPN3.com
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Justbet Sportsbook currently have the Huskies listed as 3½-point favorites versus the Bruins.
UCLA Bruins (12-9): The Bruins notched a pair of home victories last week sweeping Utah and Colorado. The 77-60 win over the Buffaloes knocked Colorado out of first place in the conference. UCLA continues to shoot the ball well led by the Wear brothers. Travis Wear is shooting 57 percent and twin David Wear is making 51 percent of his shots. As a team, UCLA shoots 49 percent from the floor, which is a solid 49th in the country but the Bruins haven't defended well especially on the perimeter. UCLA is ranked 328th in the nation defending the 3-pointer.
Washington Huskies (14-7): The Huskies have beaten UCLA three straight times, two of them at the Alaska Airlines Arena. Last season, the Huskies got 24 points from C.J. Wilcox to cap the season sweep of the Bruins in a 70-63 decision. Wilcox helped the Huskies stun Arizona 69-67 in front of a sell-out crowd in Tucson last week with a pair of clutch free throws in the final minute. He is still recovering from a stress fracture in his right leg but scored 15 points in 26 minutes against the Wildcats.
1. Washington coach Lorenzo Romar said his team would have lost at Arizona by 15 to 20 points a month ago, but has clearly turned things around winning six of its last seven games.
2. The Huskies haven’t beaten UCLA four straight times since the 1950s.
3. Washington is on the NCAA bubble as the second half of the Pac-12 play begins. It has an RPI of 72 but a favorable schedule down the stretch.
BASKETBALL PREDICTION: Huskies 72, Bruins 67.
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alaska airlines arena - c.j. wilcox - david wear - lorenzo romar - ncaa tournament - travis wear - ucla bruins - washington huskies