GAME:  #685 UCLA vs #686  San Diego State
TIME:    11/25/2020 – 8:00p EST
SPREAD:   UCLA -2.5
TOTAL:      133

Two of the best West Coast teams clash early and meet in the season opener when the San Diego State Aztecs host the Pre-Season #22 UCLA Bruins. This game is part of a four-team tournament at San Diego State that also features UC Irvine and Pepperdine. These two teams haven’t met since 2012 when the Aztecs won 79-68. 

#22 UCLA BRUINS

Mick Cronin’s first season at UCLA finished a lot better than it started. The Bruins started off 8-9 but then something clicked and UCLA won 11 of their last 14 games and was in a position to make the NCAA Tournament. This season, every starter returns along with most of their bench production. The Bruins are positioned to be the best team in the Pac-12 this season. UCLA’s Chris Smith led the Bruins in scoring with 13.1 points per game while adding in 5.4 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 1.0 steals. Smith is an NBA prospect that should be one of the best players in the conference. The rest of the starters were fairly balanced as Jalen Hill, Jaime Jaquez, Cody Riley, and Tyger Campbell all averaged 8-9 points per game last season. Jules Bernard, Jake Kyman, and David Singleton all return as pieces off the bench making UCLA one of the top teams in the nation in terms of continuity. With so much returning production, new players were not a necessity for the Bruins to bring in, yet they still nabbed one of the top transfers on the market. Johnny Juzang was a five-star prospect for Kentucky and will be immediately eligible as a sophomore at UCLA. Juzang only played 12.3 minutes per game as a freshman, but he flashed his shooting ability and has the talent to make a major impact for the Bruins. Top-to-bottom, UCLA has one of the most impressive rosters in the nation especially in terms of returning production.

SAN DIEGO STATE AZTECS

San Diego State started last season 26-0. The Aztecs were eying a #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament at that point. The Aztecs lose 3 starters and will have to do some reloading. San Diego State will reload around returning seniors Matt Mitchell and Jordan Schakel. Mitchell, a 6-6 forward, was second on the team in scoring with 12.2 points per game. Schakel connected on 43.6 percent of his 163 attempts from beyond the arc. Nathan Mensah should see a lot more playing since Last year the 6-10 forward averaged 6.9 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks. A couple of graduate transfers will add even more experience to the Aztecs with Terrell Gomez who averaged over 19 points per game during his last two seasons with Cal State Northridge and Joshua Tomiac who did not see much playing time while at Maryland, but the 6-10 senior has the talent to at least add some quality size off the bench at San Diego State. With upperclassmen like Aguek Arop and Adam Seiko joining a decent crop of freshmen, Coach Dutcher should find the depth he needs to play San Diego State’s typically tough defense.

TRENDS(covers.com)

UCLA

• Under is 4-0-1 in Bruins last 5 Wednesday games.
• Bruins are 5-0-1 ATS in their last 6 games overall.
• Bruins are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 road games.

SAN DIEGO STATE

• Under is 5-1 in Aztecs last 6 home games.
• Aztecs are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 Wednesday games.
• Aztecs are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 home games.
• Under is 6-2 in Aztecs last 8 overall.
• Over is 5-2 in Aztecs last 7 Wednesday games.

UCLA vs SAN DIEGO STATE PREDICTION

The Bruins are the better team with a lot more talent on the floor however San Diego State will have a home-court advantage. Considering there won’t be many people at the game, the home-court advantage might not be much of a factor this season. San Diego State is another team that the public will be backing however they will struggle to score. If UCLA can start the season how they ended the last, they will have a great year. The Bookie is rolling with UCLA to win this one because Mick Cronin got his players to buy into his system by the end of last season and this season they will be all-in from the start. 

BETTING ANGLES: 

The Bookie:  UCLA -2.5
Fade the Public: no data
Sharp Action:   UCLA

Risk 1.1 Units to win 1 unit on the Bruins to win by 3 or more.