It’s time to continue our College Basketball odds series with an Ohio State-UCLA prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Ohio State-UCLA.
The Ohio State Buckeyes are not a lock to be in the NCAA Tournament, and they really did not help their cause a few days ago. They not only lost to Northwestern at home but got blown out by the Wildcats. Keep in mind that Northwestern might not even qualify for the Big Ten Tournament, meaning that the Wildcats might finish in the bottom three of an 18-team conference. Northwestern is playing without its best player, Brooks Barnhizer, who was knocked out for the remainder of the season a few weeks ago with an injury. Getting crushed by a shorthanded, lower-tier conference opponent at home is an absolutely brutal bubble result for Ohio State, which — per the consensus of bracketologists — is still inside the cut line but has now reduced its margin for error. Losing to Northwestern might have taken Ohio State from “safely in” to one of the last four byes, maybe even one of the last four teams in the field. Ohio State, because of that Northwestern loss, now needs a few more extra wins to feel safe on Selection Sunday. A win here at UCLA would greatly reduce any bubble stress Ohio State might feel. A loss would leave the Buckeyes in a position where they would need at least three wins in the coming weeks to feel relatively good about their bubble position.
Here are the Ohio State-UCLA College Basketball Odds, courtesy of FanDuel
College Basketball Odds: Ohio State-UCLA Odds
Ohio State: +6.5 (-118)
Moneyline: +198
UCLA: -6.5 (-104)
Moneyline: -245
Over: 139.5 (-110)
Under: 139.5 (-110)
How to Watch Ohio State vs UCLA
Time: 3:45 p.m. ET/12:45 p.m. PT
TV: CBS
*Watch college basketball LIVE with fuboTV (Get Access | Save $30)*
Why Ohio State Will Cover The Spread/Win
Ohio State is in acute need of a win, so the Buckeyes will be highly motivated. They are getting almost seven full points on the spread, too. They just need to keep it close and they will cover. Also, UCLA just lost at home to Minnesota. That same Minnesota team which beat UCLA then lost at home to Penn State this past Saturday. UCLA really slipped up and is once again showing signs of not being a consistently good team. The Bruins did win seven of eight earlier in the Big Ten season. They had a really good four-week stretch. However, this is a team which lost four straight games in January. UCLA is back to being a wobbly, uncertain team. Ohio State can pounce on that.
Why UCLA Will Cover The Spread/Win
UCLA is at home and has to be very angry about its recent loss to Minnesota. That was a game the Bruins led by 17. They were still leading late but missed four of four free throws in the final 90 seconds to cough up an absolutely terrible loss. You can bet that UCLA will come out of the gate firing here, establishing an early 10-point lead. The question is whether UCLA can maintain that lead. Given how awful Ohio State looked against Northwestern, the odds are decent that UCLA can maintain its advantage and win comfortably.
Final Ohio State-UCLA Prediction & Pick
Our lean is to Ohio State, but after seeing the Buckeyes produce a clunker against Northwestern, we are not about to trust them. Stay away from this game.
Final Ohio State-UCLA Prediction & Pick: Ohio State +6.5
The post Ohio State vs UCLA prediction, pick, college basketball odds appeared first on ClutchPoints.
