Halftime Report
The last time UCLA and Arizona met, the game was decided by 23 points, but it sure doesn’t look like the final score will be so lopsided this time. After one quarter, neither team has the match in the bag, but UCLA leads 30-28 over Arizona.
UCLA entered the contest having won seven straight and they’re just one half away from another. Will they make it eight, or will Arizona step up and spoil it? We’ll know soon.
Who’s Playing
Arizona Wildcats @ UCLA Bruins
Current Records: Arizona 4-4, UCLA 8-1
How To Watch
- When: Saturday, December 14, 2024 at 3 p.m. ET
- Where: Footprint Center — Phoenix, Arizona
- TV: ESPN2
- Follow: CBS Sports App
- Online Streaming: Catch select College Basketball matches on Fubo (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
- Ticket Cost: $26.00
What to Know
The Arizona Wildcats will face off against the UCLA Bruins at 3:00 p.m. ET on Saturday at Footprint Center. The Wildcats are strutting in with some offensive muscle as they’ve averaged 87.1 points per game this season.
Arizona took a loss when they played away from home two weeks ago, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Saturday. They put a hurting on Southern Utah to the tune of 102-66. The Wildcats have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won four contests by 29 points or more this season.
Arizona’s success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but KJ Lewis led the charge by going 6 for 7 en route to 15 points plus eight rebounds and five assists. What’s more, Lewis also posted a 85.7% field goal percentage, which is the highest he’s posted since back in February. Another player making a difference was Anthony Dell’Orso, who went 6 for 9 en route to 19 points.
Arizona was working as a unit and finished the game with 23 assists. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Southern Utah only posted 14.
Meanwhile, UCLA entered their tilt with Oregon on Sunday with six consecutive wins but they’ll enter their next game with seven. They skirted by the Ducks 73-71 thanks to a clutch jump shot from Dylan Andrews with but a second left in the second quarter. For those keeping track at home, that’s the closest win the Bruins have posted since January 17th.
UCLA can attribute much of their success to Eric Dailey Jr., who went 7 for 8 en route to 19 points plus five rebounds and two steals.
The victory got Arizona back to even at 4-4. As for UCLA, their win bumped their record up to 8-1.
Some high-performance offense is likely on the agenda as the two teams are some of the highest scoring teams in the league. Arizona hasn’t had any problem running up the score this season, having averaged 87.1 points per game. However, it’s not like UCLA struggles in that department as they’ve been averaging 77.7. With both teams so easily able to put up points, the only question left is who can run the score up higher.
Arizona is hoping to beat the odds on Saturday, as the experts think they’re headed for a loss. For those looking to play the spread, watch out: Arizona is playing as the underdog, but their 0-1 record against the spread as such isn’t exactly encouraging.
Odds
UCLA is a 4-point favorite against Arizona, according to the latest college basketball odds.
The line has drifted a bit towards the Bruins, as the game opened with the Bruins as a 2.5-point favorite.
The over/under is 147.5 points.
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Series History
Arizona has won 6 out of their last 10 games against UCLA.
- Mar 07, 2024 – Arizona 88 vs. UCLA 65
- Jan 20, 2024 – Arizona 77 vs. UCLA 71
- Mar 11, 2023 – Arizona 61 vs. UCLA 59
- Mar 04, 2023 – UCLA 82 vs. Arizona 73
- Jan 21, 2023 – Arizona 58 vs. UCLA 52
- Mar 12, 2022 – Arizona 84 vs. UCLA 76
- Feb 03, 2022 – Arizona 76 vs. UCLA 66
- Jan 25, 2022 – UCLA 75 vs. Arizona 59
- Feb 18, 2021 – UCLA 74 vs. Arizona 60
- Jan 09, 2021 – UCLA 81 vs. Arizona 76
