The Cincinnati Bearcats (9-2) square off against the UCLA Bruins (7-3) at Fifth Third Arena. The game starts at 9 p.m. ET on Wednesday, December 19, 2018, and will air on ESPN2.
UCLA Bruins at Cincinnati Bearcats Free Prediction
The Bruins will be hoping for a similar outcome after blowing out the Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons in their last game, 96-71. UCLA out-rebounded Purdue Fort Wayne. The Bruins had more offensive rebounds (13 vs. six), defensive rebounds (39 vs. 22) and total rebounds (52 vs. 28). UCLA rallied around Kris Wilkes, who was the top scorer from either team with 27 points on 11-for-19 shooting.
In the Bearcats’ previous outing, they fell to the Ohio State Buckeyes, 64-56. Ohio State launched 20 three pointers, making eight of them (40.0 percent), while Cincinnati was 6-26 (23.1 percent). Jarron Cumberland had a good game for Cincinnati, leading both teams in scoring with 22 points on 7-for-17 shooting.
After the Bearcats won the lone contest against the Bruins last season, 77-63, these teams will clash for the first time this year. The Bearcats had a much better free throw rate (0.259 vs. 0.107) and had a much better turnover percentage (11.7 vs. 23.1).
Both teams have had a player take their game to the next level over their last five games. Wilkes (0 points) has been fantastic for the Bruins while Cumberland (0 points) has contributed greatly to the Bearcats.
Cincinnati appears to have the advantage on the defensive side of the ball. The Bearcats rank 50th in effective field goal percentage allowed (0.460), while UCLA is 156th in effective field goal percentage (0.522). This game should be a showdown of conflicting paces. The fast-breaking Bruins rank 42nd in possessions per game, while the slower-paced Bearcats rank 346th.
UCLA vs. Cincinnati Betting Pick
Pick: SU Winner – Cincinnati, ATS Winner – UCLA, O/U – Under
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Notes
Betting Notes:
Cincinnati ranks seventh in rebounds allowed per game (29.0) while UCLA ranks 198th (37.5).
The Bearcats rank 15th in assists allowed per game (9.7) while the Bruins rank 175th (14.7).
Cincinnati ranks 111th in three pointers allowed per game (22.0) while UCLA ranks 246th (28.3).
The Bearcats are ninth in the NCAA with 4.5 steals allowed per game while the Bruins are 55th with 5.7 steals allowed per game.
UCLA averages 5.6 blocks per game, which is ranked 12th in the NCAA. Cincinnati ranks 48th in blocks allowed per game (2.8).
Bettings Trends:
The Bruins’ average margin of victory in their last five games has been 13.6, up from 9.6 for the season.
During their last five games, the Bearcats have scored an average of 70.4 points per game (1.6 below their season average) and allowed an average of 57.0 points per game (0.6 below their season average).
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