UCLA Bruins vs. Utah Utes: How to Watch, Game Info, Betting Odds
The Bruins will be back in front of their home crowd Thursday night, looking to extend their winning streak and stay undefeated against the Utes in the Mick Cronin era.
WHO: UCLA vs. Utah
DATE: Thursday, Jan. 12
TIME: 8:06 p.m. PT
LOCATION: Pauley Pavilion, Los Angeles, CA
TV: Pac-12 Networks – Ted Robinson (play-by-play), Bill Walton (analyst)
STREAMING: fuboTV (Start your free trial)
RADIO: AM 570, Sirius Ch. 83, SXM App 83 – Josh Lewin (play-by-play), Tracy Murray (analyst)
SPREAD: UCLA -12 (-110), Utah +12 (-118)*
MONEY LINE: UCLA -901, Utah, +500
OVER/UNDER: O 135.5 (-118), U 135.5 (-110)*
UCLA came in at No. 7 in the most recent AP Poll and No. 6 in the USA Today Coaches Poll, and is currently No. 7 in the NET Rankings, No. 4 in the KenPom and No. 3 in the BARTHAG. Utah does not have votes in either poll, and is currently No. 43 in the NET, No. 48 in the KenPom and No. 36 in the BARTHAG.
The Bruins were the heavy favorite to win the Pac-12 this season, earning the No. 1 spot in the preseason media poll with the vast majority of first-place votes. The Utes, on the other hand, came in at No. 10.
UCLA is led by coach Mick Cronin, who is in his fourth season with the program. Cronin boasts a 82-32 record since arriving in Westwood and a 447-203 record as a head coach overall, including his stints at Murray State and Cincinnati.
The Bruins are currently 14-2, including a 5-0 record in Pac-12 play. A winless weekend in Las Vegas in November set UCLA back in the polls a bit following losses to Illinois and Baylor, but they have since bounced back with an 11-game winning streak that featured big wins over then-No. 20 Maryland, then-No. 13 Kentucky, Washington State and Washington – none of which took place in Westwood. The Bruins held on to beat USC at home last week, keeping them along in first place in the Pac-12.
UCLA is averaging 77.8 points per game while allowing 60.8 points per game, which ranks No. 62 and No. 21 in the country, respectively. The Bruins have the No. 12 adjusted offense and No. 9 adjusted defense in the KenPom. Their 48.0% field goal percentage ranks No. 36 in the country, and their 9.6 turnovers per game are the fourth-fewest in Division I.
Guard/forward Jaime Jaquez Jr. leads UCLA with 16.9 points per game, and he ranks second on the team with 6.4 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.6 steals per game. Guard Jaylen Clark is averaging 14.2 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.6 steals per game, while point guard Tyger Campbell is averaging 13.3 points and 4.6 assists per game. Freshmen Amari Bailey, Dylan Andrews and Adem Bona, meanwhile, are each emerging as secondary options alongside veteran sharpshooter David Singleton, although Bailey is banged up and not expected to play Thursday.
Utah is led by coach Craig Smith, who is in his second season with the Utes. Smith has gone to two NCAA tournaments across his nine seasons as a head coach at the Division I level, and he has a 176-104 career record including his stints at Utah State and South Dakota.
It has been an up-and-down campaign for Utah thus far, with the first major ding on their resume being a home loss to Sam Houston State. The Utes got back on track with a win over then-No. 4 Arizona, sparking a 5-0 start to their Pac-12 slate, but they lost to Mississippi State, BYU, TCU and Oregon to fall to 12-5 overall.
Utah is averaging 73.0 points per game while allowing 61.5 points per game, which rank No. 158 and No. 25 in the country, respectively. The Utes have the No. 98 adjusted offense and No. 19 adjusted defense in the KenPom. Utah limits its opponents to 42.2% shooting on 2s and 26.8% shooting from 3, which rank No. 9 and No. 4, respectively.
7-foot senior Branden Carlson is once again leading the charge for the Utes on offense, averaging 15.6 points and 7.4 rebounds per game on 39.6% shooting from deep this season. Former Cincinnati transfer guard Gabe Madsen has emerged as a legitimate scoring option as well, putting up 12.6 points per game, while former Virginia and Utah State guard Marco Anthony has averaged 12.0 points per game since joining the starting lineup in late November.
UCLA is 15-10 against Utah all-time, and 11-6 since they joined the Pac-12 back in 2011. Since Cronin took over in Westwood, the Bruins are 5-0 against the Utes.
*Odds via SI Sportsbook
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