Written by Rohit Ghosh
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UCLA at Washington State: Pac-12 Analyst Pick
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UCLA heads up to Washington State Wednesday after dropping out of the Top 10 for the first time in two months, coming in at No. 11 when the AP poll was released this week. The Bruins' 84-76 loss at USC last week, making it their third conference loss in nine game.
Pure talent wise, there's no question the Bruins should cruise to victory. Washington St. was on a nice streak about a month ago, but their 11-10 record largely shows a team looking for some sort of consistency. Over their last three games, they have wins over Arizona State and Colorado, and a loss to Arizona.
What the Trends Say
What the Trends Say: Recent against the spread (ATS) trends suggest taking Washington at home - especially with UCLA in a bit of a skid. UCLA is 3-8 ATS in their last 11 Wednesday games. More importantly, they're just 3-10 ATS in their last 13 games after an ATS loss.
On the other hand, the Cougars have had a nice ATS streak as of late, going 4-1 over their last five overall and in their last five Pac-12 matchups.
The home team is 7-1 ATS in the last 8 meetings.
What to Watch For
UCLA has seven players averaging double figures this season, led by a group that loves to get the three-ball up. The Bruins rank No. 7 in the nation in three-pointers made, and No. 5 in three-pointers per game. Even more telling is that they average about the same number of attempts, whether on the road or at home. UCLA shoots 53 percent from the field, and 43 percent from beyond the arc.
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FREE Analyst's Pick: UCLA at Washington State
Despite the recent Bruin struggles and trends, Washington St. just doesn't get enough offensive production to stay competitive. The UCLA offense leads the nation in scoring at just a shade of 92 points per game - Washington state puts up just 70 and gives up 75.
UCLA covers in a blowout win to start their short Pacific Northwest road-trip.
