BYU vs UCLA Odds and Picks

• #11 UCLA will take on #6 BYU at Hinkle Fieldhouse on Saturday, March 20th, 2021 at 9:40 PM EST
• BYU are 3.5-point favorites against the UCLA Bruins
• See the odds, analysis, and pick for this Round of 64 matchup at the 2021 NCAA National Tournament

The UCLA Bruins gave us some of the best drama of the evening Thursday with their overtime victory over Michigan State, and now they move on to an “official” first-round game against BYU on Saturday night. The Cougars are 3.5-point favorites in the BYU vs UCLA odds.

The Provo, Utah school has a nifty 20-6 record that would look a whole lot better if not for three losses against top-ranked Gonzaga. The Bruins have the advantage off having already played one game inside the Indianapolis bubble, where all the teams have gathered for this pandemic-friendly event.

Here are the odds for the Saturday night (9:40 PM EST) tipoff.

BYU vs UCLA Odds

Odds as of March 19th

What Did UCLA Learn Against Michigan State?

For one thing, it is nice to have your opponent airball their first two shots of overtime. The Spartans did that, scored only three points in the extra period and now are headed back to school with nothing more than stories to tell about being quarantined for the better part of a week in a hotel.

What is more worrisome for UCLA is the injury sustained by Johnny Juzang in the extra period. He went down awkwardly after making UCLA’s first two buckets of the extra period. We will get news about him between now and tipoff, and if he is out we should expect line movement.

If Juzang’s injury is serious, the best bet might be laying the 3.5-points before the line moves. Juzang certainly did not transfer from Kentucky to sit out the biggest game of the tournament, but UCLA’s doctors will have the final say on his availability.

Kentucky scholarship players to transfer or leave the program under John Calipari:

Darnell Dodson
Stacey Poole
Ryan Harrow
Kyle Wiltjer
Marcus Lee
Charles Matthews
Sacha Killeya-Jones
Tai Wynyard
Jemarl Baker
Quade Green
Kahlil Whitney
Johnny Juzang
Cam'Ron Fletcher

— Chris Fisher (@ChrisFisher247) March 13, 2021

UCLA is +10000 to win the tournament and BYU is +8000, the Bruins’ longer odds a reflection of the season-ending injury to Smith, who had made himself eligible for the 2020 NBA draft but then changed his mind and withdrew.

In the case of BYU, it is because of the three losses to Gonzaga more than anything else. The books are getting pounded on Gonzaga and Illinois to win it all, so they are incentivizing picks on other teams by posting long odds.

Make a Case for BYU to Cover

BYU had won seven of eight before getting outclassed by Gonzaga in the conference tournament second round. Their most quality victory of the season came against San Diego State on Dec. 18 when the Aztecs were ranked No. 18. Senior guard Alex Barcello leads them in scoring at nearly 16 points per game and makes his 3-pointers at a 48 percent clip, so he will be the “soft, nice” (see video below) player the Bruins target defensively.

The tricky thing about this game is going to be monitoring Juzang’s status and trying to figure out if the Bruins can bring anybody off the bench to replace what Juzang was giving them. Every coach at every university from Division 1 to the NAIA tells his bench players “stay ready.” If UCLA has to turn to an unknown commodity, it’s slim pickings.

Four of the starters played at least 34 minutes against Michigan State, and guard Jaime Jaquez Jr. played the entire game and scored a team-high 27 points. Freshman Jaylen Clark from Riverside has the most experience of UCLA’s three freshmen, having played 26 games.

Pick: BYU -3.5 (-112)