Colorado at UCLA odds, picks and prediction

Previewing Saturday’s Colorado Buffaloes at UCLA Bruins sports betting odds and lines, with college basketball betting picks, tips and predictions.

The Colorado Buffaloes (7-2 overall, 1-1 Pac-12) visit the UCLA Bruins (6-2, 2-0) Saturday for an 8 p.m. ET tip-off in a Pac-12 affair at Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles. Below, we analyze the Colorado-UCLA college basketball betting odds and lines, with picks and predictions.

Colorado at UCLA: Betting odds, spread and lines

Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 11 a.m. ET.

  • Money line: Colorado +135 (bet $100 to win $135) | UCLA -1650 (bet $160 to win $100)
  • Against the spread/ATS: Colorado +3.5 (-115) | UCLA -3.5 (-105)
  • Over/Under: 136.5 (O: -115 | U: -105)

Colorado at UCLA: Three things to know

  1. UCLA slipped by Utah 72-70 on New Year’s Eve. The Bruins won that game at home, where they are 5-0 this season and 12-for-12 over their last dozen games. UCLA shot 50% (10-of-20) from 3-point range against the Utes. The Bruins’ 37.0% mark from beyond the arc ranks fourth in the Pac-12.
  2. Colorado is closing out a holiday-week two-gamer in Southern California. The Buffaloes prevailed in a 72-62 win at USC Thursday. CU was sharp on defense, holding the Trojans to a 38.3% mark from the field and forcing 15 turnovers. Colorado heads into this game yielding just 61.3 points per game (second in Pac-12).
  3. UCLA beat Colorado twice last season, and those twin wins snapped a four-game Buffs winning streak in the series. In Los Angeles, the Bruins are 5-2 straight up and 5-2 ATS against CU. The 2019-20 meeting at Pauley Pavilion saw UCLA win despite shooting just 38.9% from the floor. The Bruins out-rebounded the Buffaloes 36-28 and shot 86.2% on 29 attempts from the free-throw line.

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Colorado at UCLA: Odds, betting lines, predictions and picks

Prediction

UCLA 71, Colorado 70

Money line (ML)

In a vacuum, the razor-thin lean is on UCLA, but the price on underdog Colorado makes CU worth a play: BACK THE BUFFALOES (+135).

Against the spread (ATS)

Colorado typically plays road games against the Pac-12 Los Angeles schools in one-trip visits. On the back half of those visits, the Buffaloes are 2-0 ATS the last two seasons.

Figure on Colorado getting to the line and keeping this game close. The Buffs’ 2-point defense should also be a key plus.

TAKE COLORADO +3.5 (-115).

Over/Under (O/U)

The tag here is colored by the slower tempo both teams prefer but both sides bring high-level offensive efficiency to the table.

TAKE THE OVER 136.5 (-115).

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