Free College Basketball Picks Today: Washington State Cougars vs University of California Los Angeles Bruins 12/30/22

The Washington State Cougars (5-8, 0-2 Pac-12) will try to slow down one of the nation’s top shooting teams when they host the No. 11 UCLA Bruins (11-2, 2-0 Pac-12) on Friday. UCLA dominated the UC Davis Aggies 81-54 at Pauley Pavilion on December 21, their eighth consecutive win.

Jaylen Clark was the standout player with 18 points and 11 rebounds. Washington State lost on Sunday at SimpliFI Arena at Stan Sheriff Center, falling to the Utah State Aggies 82-73. Mouhamed Gueye had 22 points and 12 rebounds in the losing effort to lead the team.

It’s the only meeting of the season between the teams. They last met in the Pac-12 Conference Tournament quarterfinals when the Bruins eliminated the Cougars with a 75-65 victory at T-Mobile Arena on March 10. UCLA came out on top in the only regular season matchup between the teams last season 75-65 at T-Mobile Arena on March 10.

Jaime Jaquez Jr. led the Bruins with 23 points and 11 rebounds. Andrej Jakimovski had 15 points in the losing effort. Jaquez Jr. and Clark, averaging 17.0 and 14.5 points per game, respectively, have led the Bruins in scoring this season. Clark also has grabbed 6.2 rebounds per game.

Meanwhile, Tyger Campbell is dishing 4.1 assists per game.TJ Bamba (16.8 ppg) has powered the Cougars on offense. Gueye is collecting 8.2 rebounds per game, and Justin Powell is recording 3.3 assists. The Bruins are one of the most accurate field goal shooting teams in the NCAA, ranking 21st at 49.9%.

UCLA is 8-2 in the last 10 games with an average margin of +16.4 (78.9-62.5). Washington State has gone 4-6 over the last 10, scoring 69.0 points per game on average while holding opponents to 64.5 (+4.5 margin).

BRUINS HOT/COLD

(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Amari Bailey: 10.4 | 15.1 | -4.7
Points per game:
Amari Bailey: 6.4 | 9.5 | -3.1
Assists per game:
Tyger Campbell: 2.2 | 4.1 | -1.9

COUGARS HOT/COLD

(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Dylan Darling: 2.6 | 4.1 | -1.5
Assists per game:
Justin Powell: 1.6 | 3.3 | -1.7

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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.