UCLA vs Utah Predictions & Odds (Feb. 23)
- The UCLA Bruins are 7-point road favorites vs the Utah Utes in Pac-12 play Thursday
- UCLA is seeking its seventh straight win, while Utah has dropped four of their last six
- See below for the latest UCLA vs Utah odds, plus analysis and best bets
Closing in on the Pac-12 regular season crown, the 4th-ranked UCLA Bruins (23-4. 14-2 Pac-12) seek their seventh straight win when they visit the Utah Utes (17-11, 10-7 Pac-12).
Utah is staggering into this matchup, having dropped four of their last six, and teetering as a bubble team seeking an at-large NCAA Tournament bid. A signature win over one of the betting favorites in the 2023 March Madness odds would definitely strengthen their case.
Defense should be the prevailing theme in this one (more on that below), but oddsmakers are still strong on the Bruins, listing them as 7-point road favorites in the college basketball odds, with a total set at 132.
UCLA vs Utah Odds
| Team | Spread | Moneyline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| UCLA Bruins | -7 (-110) | -305 | O 132 (-110) |
| Utah Utes | +7 (-110) | +255 | U 132 (-110) |
Odds as of February 22nd at DraftKings Sportsbook. Get the DraftKings Sportsbook bonus code to bet on the UCLA vs Utah game.
It all gets underway Thursday (Feb 23) at 11pm ET from the Jon M. Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City, UT. The game can be seen live on FS1.
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UCLA vs Utah Betting Analysis
The Bruins laid the wood to the Cal Golden Bears last time out, dropping them 78-43 for their sixth straight win. The win locked up a first-round bye in next month’s Pac-12 Tournament.
Jamie Jaquez Jr led the team in scoring with 20 points — the fifth time he’s topped the scoring charts during this fun-run — adding eight rebounds and two assists. Amari Bailey played a team-high 31 minutes, going for 16 points, nine rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocks.
𝐉𝐚𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐳 𝐉𝐫. ⏩ 𝐁𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐲 💥
Saturday's game was full of memorable plays, but this 𝐒𝐋𝐀𝐌 𝐃𝐔𝐍𝐊 on the feed from Jaime Jaquez Jr. took the nod as the "𝐌𝐎𝐍𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐌𝐎𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓."#GoBruins | MonsterEnergy pic.twitter.com/76y4FooZHc
— UCLA Men’s Basketball (@UCLAMBB) February 19, 2023
UCLA was again powered by their defense, which allowed a season-low 43 points to Cal, who shot just 11-for-50 for the game, a woeful 22%. They are the nation’s 2nd-ranked unit in KenPom’s defense efficiency metric and are sixth in NCAA scoring defense, holding teams to 59.4 points per game.
The Bruins are one of only nine schools to hold teams under the 60-point threshold. Their 3-point D is also a strength, with opponents shooting 30.7% from distance, tied for 31st in the nation.
Utah is hoping a return home might snap them out of their funk. They went 0-for-Arizona, clubbed 88-62 by the 8th-ranked Arizona Wildcats before being topped 67-59 at Arizona State last time out.
With one more at the line, @MarcoJAnthony converts 💪
📲 https://t.co/uThExXrqez⁰#GoUtes pic.twitter.com/KIeZ200MEt
— Utah Basketball (@UtahMBB) February 19, 2023
Brandon Carlson had 12 points and eight rebounds in the loss. Marco Anthony played a game-high 37 points, scoring 12 points, with seven rebounds and thee assists.
The Utes will limp into this matchup, with Rollie Worster (ankle) questionable. He leads the team in assists at 5.1 per game. They’re already down wing Gabe Madsen (lower leg), who was hurt Jan 28, and is out for at least the next four weeks.
Their defense will need to continue to be strong to compete with the Bruins. The Utes are 34th in KenPom’s adjusted defensive metric, seventh in three-point FG defense (28.6%) and rank fifth nationally in opponent effective field goal percentage (44%).
UCLA vs Utah Prediction
UCLA is looking for a season sweep of this series and their seventh straight overall in this head-to-head They thumped the Utes 68-49 on January 12.
That’s the lowest scoring output for Utah on the season. Tyger Campbell led the Bruins with 17 points and seven dimes. Worster was the only Utah player to hit double digits, finishing with 12 points and two steals.
UCLA vs Utah Head-to-Head
| 4 | Rank | NR |
| 23-4 | Record | 17-11 |
| 74.1 | Points per Game | 69.8 |
| 59.4 | Points Against per Game | 62.9 |
| 51.7% | Effective FG% | 50.1% |
| 46.7% | Opponent Effective FG% | 44.0% |
Utah sports a solid 12-4 record at home, good for the fourth-most wins in the Pac-12, but UCLA has 7-2 mark away from home, the best mark in conference play.
The Bruins are 4-1 against the spread in their last five games overall. Utah has been a shaky wager at home of late against the better teams: the Utes are 0-5 ATS in their last five vs teams with a winning road record, and are just 1-5 ATS in their last six games overall.
Look for UCLA to keep the momentum going: they are a 22-2 straight up as a betting favorite, and 15-9 ATS.
Pick: UCLA -7 (-110)
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Having worked in and around sports since 1997, Eric is truly a knowledgeable expert. The two-time journalism grad specializes in all things NBA and NFL. From TSN.ca to CTV's Olympic Broadcast Consortium, Eric's work has appeared in local and national publications alike.
