Tag: Arizona UCLA

UCLA football fans cope with brutal loss to Arizona

We won’t laugh at the Bruins because, to be honest, it would have been better for #USC if UCLA was 9-1 and riding high going into Nov. 19.

Trojan fans love to laugh at UCLA’s misfortune on a general level and as a matter of regular practice. However, I think there are a lot of USC fans who were really pulling for the Bruins to beat Arizona on Saturday night.

We’ll talk about this more as USC-UCLA game week gets rolling, but a first and obvious point is that if UCLA had beaten Arizona, this game would have meant everything.

Both teams would have been alive in the playoff chase. Dorian Thompson-Robinson would have been (more) alive in the Heisman Trophy race, setting up an even duel with Caleb Williams. Both teams’ New Year’s Six bowl chances would have been better. The winner would have had a chance at a 12-1 record, something UCLA has never done and which USC hasn’t achieved since 2008.

UCLA fans: We at Trojans Wire are sincerely upset you lost. We would get more pageviews if the USC-UCLA game had been even bigger. It’s big, but it could have been a whole lot larger on a national level.

At any rate, here are UCLA fan reactions to the loss versus Arizona:

SHOCKER! UCLA loses to Arizona; USC is Pac-12’s only remaining playoff candidate

Can you believe it? #USC is the only possible playoff team from the #Pac12 and the Pac’s only 1-loss team after Arizona upset the Bruins.

It didn’t seem likely at the start. It didn’t seem likely midway through the fourth quarter when UCLA took a 28-24 lead. It didn’t seem likely when UCLA got inside the Arizona 30-yard line with 22 seconds left and several chances to win.

Yet, it happened.

Arizona’s much-maligned defense — which had allowed at least 45 points to five of its previous six opponents — limited UCLA and its star-studded backfield of Dorian Thompson-Robinson and Zach Charbonnet to just 28 points.

It’s hard to wrap the mind around that.

Because of this huge upset, what seemed like a clear-cut Pac-12 championship scenario is a little less tidy. Let’s tell you what has and hasn’t changed as a result of this shocking upset in Pasadena.

Arizona at UCLA college basketball odds, picks and best bets

Analyzing Arizona at UCLA sports betting odds and lines, with college basketball betting picks and tips.

The Arizona Wildcats (19-9, 9-6 Pac-12) visit the conference rival UCLA Bruins (18-11, 11-5) Saturday night at Pauley Pavilion for a 10 p.m. ET tip-off. We analyze the Arizona-UCLA odds and betting lines, with college basketball betting advice and tips around this matchup.

Arizona at UCLA: Three things you need to know

  1. Arizona has lost back-to-back games to the USC Trojans (57-48 last Thursday) and the Oregon Ducks (73-72 in overtime last Saturday). The Wildcats are still tied at No. 24 in the USA TODAY men’s college basketball poll even though they are in fifth in the Pac-12 standings.
  2. UCLA is tied with Oregon atop the Pac-12 with an 11-5 conference record. The Bruins come into this game on a six-game winning streak that includes a last-second 75-72 win over the Arizona State Sun Devils Thursday.
  3. UCLA smashed Arizona, 65-52, to start their current winning streak. The Bruins held Wildcats’ projected NBA lottery pick, Nico Mannion, to just five points on 2-of-14 shooting.

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Arizona at UCLA: Odds, betting lines and picks

Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Saturday at 4:30 p.m. ET.

Prediction

UCLA 69, Arizona 63

Moneyline (ML)

This is a great spot for UCLA (+105), which has beaten Arizona (-129) in three of their previous four meetings. First, the talent is virtually similar as both teams have seven top-100 RSCI ranked recruits on their team. Second, UCLA stunned Arizona in Tucson as a 12.5-point underdog in their first game of the season, so you know the Bruins want to take the season series against their conference rivals. Third, the Bruins have a winning record against ranked opponents (3-2) while the Wildcats are just 1-4 against ranked foes so far this season.

BET UCLA +105. New to sports betting? Bet $50 on UCLA +105 to earn a $52.50 profit if they win outright.

Against the Spread (ATS)

Personally, UCLA +2.5 (-121) is on the fringe of too much vig for insurance. The last Arizona-UCLA meeting to be decided by two or less was all the way back in 2013 (14 Arizona-UCLA games ago). For what it’s worth, the Bruins are 4-1-1 ATS in their last six home games and 4-1 ATS in their last five games as an underdog.

I LEAN UCLA +2.5 (-121) for insurance on our moneyline play. New to sports betting? Bet $121 on UCLA to earn a $100 profit if the Bruins win or lose by two or less.

Over/Under (O/U)

Three of the previous four Arizona-UCLA meetings went Under the projected total. Outside of that, there isn’t a trend that pushes me in either direction. Their combined Over/Under record against ranked opponents is 6-4 but against Pac-12 teams they are a combined 14-16-1 O/U.

PASS ON THE TOTAL (135.5).

Want some action on this matchup? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting picks and tips, visit SportsbookWire.com.

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