Arizona State Sun Devils vs. UCLA Bruins Free NCAAB Pick, 2–27–2020
Free NCAAB Pick by Chris Murphy of SportsInvestorCentral.com
Arizona State Sun Devils (19–8) vs. UCLA Bruins (17–11)
Time: February 27, 2020, 11:00 PM EST
Current Odds: UCLA -3.5
Two of the hottest teams in the Pac 12 will meet at Pauley Pavilion on Thursday night when the Arizona State Sun Devils take on the UCLA Bruins. The Sun Devils are 9–1 SU the last 10 games and have won seven straight games while going 3–1 SU the last 4 road games. UCLA has won five straight games and the Bruins are 8–2 SU the last 10 games including four straight at Pauly Pavilion.
Arizona State has turned around their season over the past month after they were sitting at the bottom of the Pac 12 standings in the middle of January. The Sun Devils have since won 9 of 10 and their lone loss in that stretch was a buzzer-beater loss to Washington State. The Sun Devils are averaging 73.7 points per game this season with Remey Martin leading the way for Arizona State with 19.1 points per game and 3.3 RPG. A key to the Sun Devils’ recent surge has been the play of junior guard Alonzo Verge Jr. who averages 14.6 PPG on the season but is averaging 20.7 points off the bench during the team’s seven-game win streak.
UCLA has a five-game win streak of their own, including an impressive road sweep last weekend of the Rocky Mountain schools that included a 70–63 victory at then-№17 ranked Colorado and has won seven of its last eight contests overall. The one loss during that stretch, however, was at Arizona State, where they lost 84–66 on February 6th. Junior guard Chris Smith is the only player in double figures for a very balanced UCLA lineup. Smith is scoring 13.2 points per game and is grabbing 5.4 rebounds per game. The Bruins average 69.9 PPG while allowing 67.5 PPG on defense.
UCLA is 4–1 ATS in their last five home games and 5–2 ATS in their last seven versus a team with a winning straight-up record. The Sun Devils are 5–0 ATS the last 5 meetings vs. UCLA and 4–1 SU.
These are two of the hottest teams in the Pac 12 and the NCAA Tournament implications will make for an exciting matchup. The Sun Devils connected on 14-of-24 3-pointers (58.3 percent) in their first meeting vs. the Bruins and they will need the same effort to pull off the road win. UCLA is a tough, physical team that can rebound and will play hard defensively. However, the Sun Devils veteran leadership is paying dividends late in the season and especially on the road (6–3 SU). This game will be closer than the 18 point blowout during the last meeting but I’ll side with the Sun Devils +3.5 as they get the points on the road.
Arizona State vs. UCLA Free NCAAB Pick: Arizona State +3.5
