The 11-seed UCLA Bruins (19-9) take on the 14-seed Abilene Christian Wildcats (24-4) Monday in the second round of the East Regional at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Tip-off is set for 5:15 p.m. ET and the game is airing on TBS. Below, we analyze the Abilene Christian-UCLA odds and lines, with March Madness NCAA Tournament picks and predictions.
UCLA squeaked by Michigan State in a First Four overtime game Thursday and then cruised in a 73-62 win over BYU Saturday.
The Bruins are a slow-tempo five, but they run an efficient offense and have been shooting the ball well of late (49.4% field-goal mark since Feb. 18).
UCLA G Johnny Juzang has come on strong in the tournament; the 6-foot-6 talent has scored 50 points over UCLA’s two bracket games.
Abilene Christian upset Texas, 53-52, on Saturday. The Wildcats went into the tournament with a head of steam and on a five-game win streak.
Against the Longhorns, ACU extended that streak by forcing 22 turnovers and battling back from a nine-point second-half deficit.
UCLA vs Abilene Christian: Odds, spread and lines
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Sunday at 3:14 p.m. ET.
- Money line: UCLA -200 (bet $200 to win $100) | Abilene Christian +165 (bet $100 to win $165)
- Against the spread/ATS: UCLA -4.5 (-110) | Abilene Christian +4.5 (-110)
- Over/Under: 133 (O: -110 | U: -110)
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UCLA vs Abilene Christian: Odds, lines, predictions and picks
Prediction
UCLA 70, Abilene Christian 64
Money line (ML)
UCLA has been trending the right way on the offensive glass, and that spells trouble for the Wildcats.
The Bruins also tend to fare well when getting a healthy dose of untimed and uncontested 15-footers; ACU does not rank well in free-throw avoidance. The Wildcats also don’t pose enough of a threat in the paint.
Peg the Bruins as a near-70% proposition in this spot. They are a lean at the current prices but hold out for a UCLA (-185) money line or PASS.
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Against the spread (ATS)
Abilene getting steals and transition buckets is a concern, but the way the Bruins hung onto a three-score lead for most of the second half against BYU is compelling.
UCLA fits as a team whose late-season slide had them undervalued. BACK THE BRUINS -4.5 (-110).
Over/Under (O/U)
The Under is 5-1 in UCLA’s last six games against teams playing winning at least 60% of their games. But this tag appears to account for the play styles and the bracket-action suppression of points in general.
STEER CLEAR.
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