UCLA vs Oregon prediction, odds, pick for College Basketball

12/08/2024 08:49 AM

It’s time to continue our College Basketball odds series with a UCLA Oregon prediction and pick. Find out how to watch UCLA Oregon.

Two big conference games start at 6 p.m. Eastern time, 3 p.m. Pacific time, on Sunday. One is Duke versus Louisville in the ACC. The other is this game between UCLA and Oregon in what used to be known as the Pac-12, but is now the Big Ten Conference. Nothing says Big Ten hoops quite like UCLA going up to Eugene and the Pacific Northwest.

The Oregon Ducks and coach Dana Altman have not dominated opponents this season, except in the final five minutes of games. If you look at Oregon’s season, the Ducks’ steady stream of victories has been built on the back of late-game surges on multiple occasions. Against Portland, Oregon State, Alabama, Texas A&M, and this past week on the road against USC, Oregon has struggled at various points and has often stumbled out of the gate in the first half, but the Ducks have been money in crunch time. They have quickly become experts in finding ways to scramble late and rally. They manage to put it all together at both ends of the floor when they absolutely have to. That doesn’t seem like a sustainable strategy or approach. At some point, Oregon is going to get burned playing like that. However, the Ducks have managed to walk the tightrope successfully in their first month of competition. Jackson Shelstad is a big-moment shotmaker who has repeatedly delivered for the Ducks in high-pressure situations. If he can become a factor from start to finish in games, not just at the very end, Oregon could get on top of opponents and begin to flex its muscles as it tries to establish itself as a frontline competitor in the Big Ten.

Standing in Oregon’s way on Sunday is longtime Pac-12 foe UCLA, joining the Ducks in a new league. The Bruins have looked wobbly to start the season. They did just beat Washington a few days ago but failed to cover the spread at home. Washington just lost to USC at home by 24 points, so the Bruins’ failure to cover a 13.5-point spread might raise questions about how well they can separate from inferior teams. More relevant to this game, can UCLA raise its quality of performance to beat what is probably a superior team on the road? UCLA’s wins other than the Washington game have all come against cupcake-level opponents. Oregon has already defeated several high-level teams, especially Alabama, a national title contender. Is UCLA ready to make the step up in weight class? We’re going to learn a lot about the Bruins here on Sunday.

Here are the UCLA-Oregon College Basketball Odds, courtesy of FanDuel 

College Basketball Odds: UCLA-Oregon Odds

UCLA: +3.5 (-110)

Moneyline: +136

Oregon: -3.5 (-110)

Moneyline: -164

Over: 140.5 (-115)

Under: 140.5 (-105)

How to Watch UCLA vs Oregon

Time: 6 p.m. ET / 3 p.m. PT

TV: Big Ten Network

Stream: fuboTV (Free Trial)

Why UCLA Will Cover The Spread/Win

The Bruins have played a full month of basketball. They played a light nonconference schedule because coach Mick Cronin knew this substantially reworked roster was going to need time together to learn how to play as a group. Now, with a full month in the books, this team should be ready to perform at a higher level. That’s the main reason to trust the Bruins here.

The other obvious point to make is that Oregon starts games slowly. Oregon was the second-best team against USC for 30 minutes before doing its typical late-game thing against the Trojans a few nights ago. As we keep saying, that’s not sustainable. Oregon is going to get torched if it trips out of the starting block and falls behind by 10 points at halftime. UCLA will win outright if that happens again.

Why Oregon Will Cover The Spread/Win

Oregon is favored by only 3.5 points at home against a UCLA team which lacks a high-end win. Oregon has already beaten Alabama, Texas A&M, and Oregon State away from home. What are we missing here?

Final UCLA-Oregon Prediction & Pick

The spread is shockingly small. Oregon minus the points is the best play on the board for Sunday’s college basketball slate.

Final UCLA-Oregon Prediction & Pick: Oregon -3.5

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