Updated point spread, betting odds for Arizona vs. UCLA basketball season opener
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Tommy Lloyd and the Arizona Wildcats, for a second year in a row, are taking on a highly regarded top 25 team to begin the college basketball season.
Last year Arizona downed then No. 3 Florida, 93-87, in a statement win on their way to a Final Four appearance.
The Wildcats will hope for similar success this time around as they take on longtime west coast rival UCLA, a matchup the two programs have continued annually despite leaving the conference ahead of the 2024-25 season.
What Arizona must do to win
UCLA is a tough, physical team that loves to slow down and force teams to play at their pace - a strategy that has worked quite well for Cronin, who is 47-23 at UCLA the past two years in the Big Ten.
Arizona was excellent at getting deflections and converting them into easy transition buckets across three exhibition games, and they'll need to manufacture as many transition opportunities as possible against a UCLA team that also doesn't turn the ball over very often.
UCLA also has a potential superstar talent on the roster in Nikola Kusturica, a 6'8 Serbian forward who played for Real Madrid in Spain last year as a teenager. He committed to the Bruins late in the offseason, joining at age 17 which makes him ineligible for the NBA draft until 2028.
Kharchenkov will likely draw the defensive assignment on Kusturica, but if he gets going it could be a real challenge for Arizona in Vegas on Monday night.
The Wildcats will have to outmuscle and outrun UCLA without a player who would really help on both fronts in RJ Godfrey. Godfrey is a rugged, 6'7 forward who transferred to Arizona after four years at Clemson - but who is currently ineligible after he withdrew from his lawsuit in Georgia and was denied when attempting to get a TRO granted in Waco, Texas late last week.
Below is a look at the updated point spread and betting odds, as well as TV info for Arizona's season-opening showdown against UCLA.
Arizona vs. UCLA: Betting odds, spread and game information
Spread: Arizona -5.5 (at FanDuel Sportsbook) (Was -4.5)
Moneyline: Arizona -225, UCLA +184 (was -194 and +160)
Over/under: 149.5 points (was 150.5)
Records against the spread: N/A
Game time: 8:00 p.m. Mountain Standard Time | Monday, Nov. 2
Location: T-Mobile Arena | Las Vegas, Nevada
TV channel: TNT (or HBO MAX)
Odds are courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook. 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.
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Andy Patton is a college basketball writer with deep ties to both Gonzaga and Arizona. A Gonzaga alumnus who graduated in 2013, he has hosted the Locked On Zags podcast covering Gonzaga basketball since 2021 and has co-hosted the Locked On College Basketball podcast since 2022. His years covering the Bulldogs have also given him extensive familiarity with Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd, who spent more than two decades on Mark Few’s staff at Gonzaga before taking over the Wildcats in 2021. Andy has worked in sports media since 2017, with experience covering nearly every major sport. He covered the Seattle Seahawks for USA TODAY from 2017–21, where he also spent time covering the USC Trojans and Oregon Ducks, and previously served as lead writer for College Sports Wire. He has also covered the NBA, NHL and MLB for various TEGNA outlets, including KREM in Spokane, 12News in Phoenix and KING 5 in Seattle. Andy now lives in Spokane, Washington, with his wife, daughter and dog.
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