Prairie View A&M Panthers vs UCLA Bruins NCAA Basketball Betting Pick & Prediction 12/17/24

Looking to win big? The Panthers and Bruins face off at 9:30 ET on BTN. The Bruins are hosting the game at Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles, CA. The over/under for this game is set at 148.5 points, and UCLA is favored by -33.5 against Prairie View A&M in a non-conference matchup.

PRAIRIE VIEW A&M PANTHERS VS UCLA BRUINS BETTING PICK

The Pick: Prairie View A&M Panthers +33.5

This game will be played at Pauley Pavilion at 9:30 ET on Tuesday, December 17th.

WHY BET THE PRAIRIE VIEW A&M PANTHERS:

• We have this one finishing with a projected score of 78-70 in favor of the Bruins.
• Even though we have UCLA winning straight-up, we like Prairie View A&M at +33.5.
• The over/under is currently sitting at 148.5 points, and we like the under with a projected 148 points.

Do the Panthers Stand a Chance on the Road?

Prairie View A&M’s season continued to be a struggle as they fell to 0-9 after a narrow 76-75 loss to Loyola Marymount on Saturday. The Panthers were heavy underdogs, entering the game at +18.5, but managed to keep it close.

After a 32-32 tie at halftime, Prairie View A&M scored 43 points in the 2nd half but allowed 44. The total points for the game were 151, falling short of the O/U line of 159.

Prairie View A&M’s offense put up 75 points in their last game, shooting 49% from the field. They were particularly effective inside, hitting 57.9% of their two-point attempts, while struggling from three-point range, going just 3-for-13 (23.1%). At the free-throw line, they connected on 22 of 25 attempts, good for 88%.

Will Johnston led the way with 23 points, hitting 4-of-7 from deep. Nick Anderson added 20 points, though he missed all 4 of his three-point attempts. Jevon Porter contributed 11 points and 12 rebounds, despite shooting just 2-for-11 from the field.

Prairie View A&M’s defense gave up 76 points in their last game, with opponents shooting 48% from the field. They allowed 17 two-point baskets on 30 attempts, a 56% shooting percentage.

From beyond the arc, the opposition hit 8 of 22 three-point shots, good for 36%. Prairie View A&M also sent them to the free-throw line 25 times, where they converted 18 free throws, a 72% success rate. The Panthers gave up 11 offensive rebounds.

Do the Bruins Stand a Chance at Home?

UCLA improved to 9-1 on the season with a 57-54 win over Arizona on Saturday. The Bruins were +4 underdogs going into the game but not only pulled off the upset, they also covered the spread.

UCLA led 30-28 at halftime and edged out Arizona by scoring 27 points in the 2nd half while allowing 26. The game’s total points of 111 fell well short of the O/U line of 144.5.

UCLA managed just 57 points in their latest game, struggling from beyond the arc with a 19% three-point shooting performance (4/21). Their overall field goal percentage was 45.1%, and they hit 63.3% of their two-point attempts (19/30).

Free-throw shooting was also an issue, as they connected on only 43.8% from the line (7/16). Tyler Bilodeau led the team with 17 points, while Skyy Clark added 15, hitting 3 of 7 from deep. Jaden Bradley contributed 12 points and 7 rebounds, along with 6 assists.

Even though UCLA gave up 54 points, they allowed the opponent to shoot 45% from the field, including 65% on two-point attempts, where they went 17/26. The Bruins did manage to limit damage from beyond the arc, holding the opponent to just 2/16 shooting, or 12% from three-point range.

UCLA sent the opponent to the free-throw line 19 times, where they converted 14 attempts, shooting 73% from the stripe. The Bruins also gave up 9 offensive rebounds in the game.