The Pepperdine Waves (4-1) and No. 17 UCLA Bruins (3-2) tussle in Los Angeles Wednesday with the opening tip at Pauley Pavilion at 10:30 p.m. ET (Pac-12 Network). Below, we analyze Tipico Sportsbook’s lines around the Pepperdine vs. UCLA odds, and make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and bets.
A high-scoring Pepperdine team (85.2 points per game, 26th NCAA-I) was held to 64 points Saturday against Cal-Irvine. But the Waves covered a 2.5-point spread and defeated the Anteaters 64-55. A young Pepperdine squad has 4 players averaging 12-plus points through 5 games.
The Bruins are coming off back-to-back losses to top-25 squads in last week’s Continental Tire Main Event in Las Vegas. UCLA fell to current-No. 14 Illinois on Friday and then lost to current-No. 7 Baylor on Sunday. Both were ATS losses after starting the season 3-0 SU and 3-0 ATS.
Rankings courtesy of the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll.
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Pepperdine at UCLA odds
Provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 11:46 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline: Pepperdine +725 (bet $100 to win $725) | UCLA -1500 (bet $1500 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): Pepperdine +16.5 (-110) | UCLA -16.5 (-110)
- Over/Under (O/U): 152.5 (O: -105 | U: -115)
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Pepperdine at UCLA picks and predictions
Prediction
UCLA 85, Pepperdine 64
Moneyline
Too many gallons of juice: PASS.
Against the spread
On KenPom, Pepperdine’s DI experience level (1.16 years) ranks 311th in the nation. Look for the Wave to have some inconsistent production levels through the 1st couple of months of the season.
In this contest, Pepperdine gets its 1st taste of road play against the battle-tested-hungry-after-2-losses Bruins. Regression on some recent shooting numbers on both sides point the way of the home side here.
TAKE THE BRUINS -16.5 (-105).
Over/Under
This figure is tough to argue with in a slow (UCLA) vs. fast (Pepperdine) match-up. PASS.
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