The #3 UCLA Bruins won’t have to travel far for their first Big Dance game against the #14 Kent State Golden Flashes. While the Ohio school travels across the country mostly to participate, it’s all business for highly touted Bruins.
Place: Golden 1 Center, Sacramento, California
Date/Time: Friday March 17th, 2017. 9:57 PM ET
TV Coverage: truTV
#3 UCLA Bruins vs. #14 Kent State Golden Flashes
LINE: UCLA Bruins -18 (-102)
Total: 161 points (-106 over, -105 under)
UCLA’s Lonzo Ball is Ballin’
As the tourney starts for the 29-4 UCLA Bruins there is a lot of talk about upper limit of this team. Some project it to go as far as Final Four, but the Bruins need to have a one-by-one game approach. It’s very easy to get excited as this team has a lot of potential, winning 10 games in a row in an impressive fashion before falling to Arizona in a game that will surely serve as a good reminder that wins have to be earned at the highest level. The Bruins scored over 100 points on 9 occasions during the season and got close another few times.
UCLA is led by arguable the best player in the NCAA, Lonzo Ball, a freshman guard who orchestrates the Bruins’ offense to near perfection while shooting 72 percent on twos. Fellow freshman TJ Leaf had a nice season as well, while the veterans showed improved play with the new leader. Ball averages 14.6 points, 7.7 assists and 6.1 rebounds per game and this may be his only ride in the tournament. As a team, UCLA leads the nation offensively, scoring incredible 90.4 points on average while also shooting .519 on field goals and .405 on threes. On top of that, they are a strong rebounding team and are no slouches on defense. They do allow 75.3 per game, due to the frantic pace, but limit the opponents to a solid .419 shooting percentage, without fouling much.
Kent St. turning it around
The Kent State Golden Flashes (22-13) were not on the MAC radar for most of the first part of the season, going 13-12 till deep into the February. They managed to turn it around by winning 9 of their last 10 games and earning automatic bid as MAC champions despite starting the conference tournament from the sixth place. It is a Cinderella story, but a one that will most likely end soon.
The Golden Flashes score 76.9 points per game due to their offensive rebounding prowess. They shoot a low percentage (.428) but have managed to attempt 4th most field goals in the league as they grab 15 offensive rebounds per game. Their star is forward Jimmy Hall, leading the team in points (18.9), rebounds (10.5), assists (2.6) and blocks (1.5), as well as attempts and minutes. Guard Jaylin Walker gives them a nice outside option – he scores 15.6 points, albeit on 13.5 shots (7.6 threes) per game. Defensively, there are few teams in the Tournament who are as bad as Kent State. They allow 72.3 ppg to a much weaker opposition than UCLA and this could be a busy night for the scorekeepers. The seasonal points averages are somewhat boosted by the fact that they played 5 overtime games.
#3 UCLA Bruins vs. #14 Kent State Golden Flashes Game Trends & Prediction
Despite their dominant display for the most part, UCLA is only 16-17 against the spread, as they are frequently playing against a massive spread. Same goes with the over/under – UCLA was 14-15 in that department – as the total lines reached as high as 180 points.
The Golden Flashes produced some gold for their backers with their recent run, as they have covered 8 times in their last 9 games, mostly as underdogs. For the season, they have gone 17-13 ATS and 13-14 against the O/U. They are no strangers to high total lines but usually project at around 150.
As much as this game is an easy call in which team is going to progress, UCLA will also have to beat an 18 points handicap for the ATS win. They are certainly capable of doing so, but they might hold back a bit after building the secure lead, as both Ball and Leaf had minor injuries recently. I’m just going to sit back and enjoy Bruins’ play, but can’t object against placing a wager on them if you feel so. Overs is much more tempting, so I’m picking it.
My Pick: Pass / UCLA -18
Total: Over 161 points
