Wisconsin vs. UCLA Prediction, Odds and Key Players for Tuesday, Jan. 21

Wisconsin’s winning streak sits at seven games as it wraps up its west coast road trip at UCLA.

The Bruins snapped its losing streak that led to a ton of headlines from head coach Mick Cronin, but the team got back on track in a blowout win against Iowa. Can the team continue to thrive on its home court?

Here’s our betting preview for Tuesday’s Big Ten matchup.

Wisconsin vs. UCLA Odds, Spread and Total

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Spread

Wisconsin: +3.5 (-118)
UCLA: -3.5 (-102)

Moneyline

Wisconsin: +128
UCLA: -154

Total: 141.5 (Over -115/Under -105)

Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook

Wisconsin vs. UCLA How to Watch

Date: Tuesday, January 21
Game Time: 9:30 PM EST
Venue: Pauley Pavilion
How to Watch (TV): Peacock
Wisconsin Record: 15-3
UCLA Record: 12-6

Wisconsin vs. UCLA Key Players to Watch

Wisconsin

John Tonje: Wisconsin won by double digits on the road on Saturday despite getting zero points from the team’s leading scorer Tonje. The do-it-all transfer has been immense to the Badgers offensive outburst this season but with a quiet effort showed that there’s more to Wisconsin this season than just him.

UCLA

Eric Dailey: UCLA took its frustrations out on Iowa on Friday night and Dailey continues to be the team’s most impactful player, scoring 23 points while also racking up two steals to go with six rebounds. The Oklahoma State transfer is averaging 12 points with four rebounds on 52% shooting.

Wisconsin vs. UCLA Prediction and Pick

UCLA got back on track after a poor run of form, mainly on its East Coast road trip, by blowing out Iowa 94-70. While the Bruins offense likely won’t continue to drop 90-plus points on opponents, I do fancy this matchup for the unit against Wisconsin’s defense.

The Badgers primarily play drop coverage on pick-and-rolls, which should open up the mid-range for UCLA, who takes a high rate of its shots from that area. With that available, I expect to see the Bruins comfortable on offense against the Badgers defense that doesn’t pressure the ball much, ranking outside the top 275 in turnover percentage.

Meanwhile, the Badgers offense should offset the Bruins elite defense. UCLA shuts down the interior for opponents while ranking No. 1 in the country in turnover percentage. However, Wisconsin is 27th in TO% on offense and are a fine 3-point shooting club, ranking 120th in 3-point percentage on a top 50 rate.

While there may be limited possessions given each team’s preferred slower tempo, the comfort for each offense makes me confident in the over in this Big Ten meeting.

PICK: OVER 140.5

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.