Northwestern vs. UCLA Bracket Prediction: March Madness Odds
The Wildcats take on the UCLA Bruins on Saturday in West Region Second Round action. The Wildcats earned the No. 7 seed in the West despite losing three of four games to close out their season, and showed signs of a turnaround on Thursday while topping Boise State 75-67.
Awarded the No. 2 seed and perched among the March madness betting favourites after compiling a 29-5 record this season, the Bruins led from wire to wire while romping to an 86-53 First Round win over UNC Asheville, and have now claimed victory by double-digit margins in four of their past six contests.
The Bruins are listed 7.5-point favourites on the March Madness odds. The Wildcats trail as a +264 bet on the moneyline, and the total is listed at 126.5.
Northwestern vs. UCLA Round of 32 Point Spread and Betting
Saturday night’s matchup at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento marks the first meeting between these teams since November 2013, and their first ever clash at the Big Dance. UCLA rolled to a 95-79 win in their most recent date with the Wildcats, and have now won three straight in head-to-head action, dating back to 1962.
The Bruins have also enjoyed historical success at March Madness, reaching the Sweet Sixteen in five of their past six tournament appearances including a pair of trips to the Final Four, and have easily covered the spread in each of their five recent Second Round wins. The Wildcats have now earned First Rounds in each of their two all-time tournament appearances, and gave the Gonzaga Bulldogs a scare in their lone previous trip to the Second Round five years ago, a 79-73 loss as 10-point underdogs.
Northwestern Wildcats (7)
The Wildcats needed to fend off a second-half rally by the Broncos on Thursday before finally taking over late in the contest to claim a 75-67 win and pay out as 2-point chalk. The challenge now facing northwestern is to maintain that offensive momentum after struggling at times to score points while losing four of five down the stretch. Boo Buie was one of two Northwestern shooters to reach 20 points, tallying 22 points and five assists while Chase Audige enjoyed his best outing in four games while draining 20. However, the Wildcats could use more production from off the bench, which has contributed just 18 points per game over their past six games and just 12 points on Thursday.
UCLA Bruins (2)
The Bruins outclassed the Bulldogs in every department in Thursday’s win. In addition to limiting UNCA to just 37.3% from the field, the Bruins outboarded the Bulldogs by a 40-25 margin and also forced 16 turnovers while committing just eight. Jaime Jaquez Jr. turned in another big March Madness performance with 17 points and eight boards, and has averaged 14.7 points in 12 career March Madness games. Freshman Amari Bailey also scored 17, and has averaged just under 18 points over his past four games. While the Bruins face a challenge to over a Northwestern squad that ranked 17th in adjusted defensive efficiency at Kenpom this season, they are well positioned to outlast the Wildcats in a game that could stay close until the late stages.
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