UCLA remains a program cursed by a College Basketball odds era that ended 50 years ago. Specifically, that was when head coach John Wooden was able to take advantage of the secret largess of a donor named Sam Gilbert to forge a dynasty. Now, UCLA’s Bruins showed better than expected as new members of the Big Ten Conference this season. UCLA was coming off a bad season in which head coach Mick Cronin had to answer for missing the NCAA Tournament. UCLA finished with a winning record in the Big Ten and is rocking its Big Dance shoes.
2025 NCAA Tournament First Round Thursday UCLA vs. Utah State Betting Info
| Date and Time: | Thursday, March 20, 2025, 9:25 p.m. ET |
|---|---|
| Location: | Rupp Arena, Lexington, KY |
| TV Coverage: | TNT |
| Team | Spread | Total | ML | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Utah State | +5½ -115 | 143½ -110 | +195 |  |
| UCLA | -5½ -105 | 143½ -110 | -225 | |
| ||||
Utah State Aggies Team Overview
Overall, the Utah State Aggies are 26-7 straight up, 15-15 against the spread, and 15-13-2 over/under the Sports betting total. Utah State has national metrics of 27th for scoring offense, 8th for field goal percentage, 35th for 3-point field goal percentage, 240th for free throw percentage, and 234th for offensive rebounding. While defensively, Utah State is 117th for scoring defense, 205th for field goal percentage permitted, 199th for 3-point field goal percentage allowed, and 30th for defensive rebounding.
Late on, Utah State has covered five of its previous eight games and has gone under the total in three of its last five outings. First among Utah State scorers is Ian Martinez, with 16.8 points per game.
UCLA Bruins Team Overview
Late on, UCLA has covered three of its previous five games and gone over the College basketball lines total in four of its last five outings. Tyler Bilodeau is first among UCLA scorers with 13.6 per game.
Overall, the UCLA Bruins are 22-9 straight up, 18-12-1 against the spread, and 13-18 over/under the total. UCLA has national metrics of 150th for scoring offense, 59th for field goal percentage, 94th for 3-point field goal percentage, 241st for free throw percentage, and 307th for offensive rebounding. While defensively, UCLA is 22nd for scoring defense, 121st for field goal percentage permitted, 87th for 3-point field goal percentage allowed, and 31st for defensive rebounding.
Last time out, John Tonje went almost 35 minutes without missing a field-goal attempt to lead No. 18 Wisconsin to a 86-70 blowout of UCLA. Tonje connected on his first nine shots from the floor and went 6-of-6 from 3-point range for a game-high 26 points. The fifth-seeded Badgers made a Big Ten tournament record-tying 19 of their 32 attempts from beyond the arc in the game.
Specifically, on Friday, Wisconsin went 5:28 into the game before getting its first points from inside the arc. Tonje and John Blackwell each hit a pair of 3-pointers for the Badgers’ first 12 points. Next, Tonje added another two, along with a pair of Steven Crowl baskets in the interior. Wisconsin held a 22-14 lead at the under-12-minute media timeout of the first half. Fourth-seeded UCLA did not get within seven points the rest of the way.
Wisconsin’s 3-point barrage continued, with the Badgers shooting 12 of 19 in the first half. The lead grew to 19 points by intermission, and Tonje had 13 points, four rebounds, and four assists by the break. He finished with a game-high-tying nine rebounds to complement his explosive scoring performance. Blackwell added 18 points and shot 4 of 8 from long range.
Utah State vs. UCLA SBG Free Picks
Despite losing to Wisconsin, UCLA showed solid NCAABB betting improvement in the second half of the season.
Utah State vs. UCLA SBG Best Bet: UCLA Bruins.