Pac-12 Betting Preview NCAA Hoops: (25) UCLA Bruins at (21) Colorado Buffaloes

(25) UCLA at (21) Colorado
Time: 8 PM, Jan 16, 2014
Spread: COL -1
Total: 151

Betting Odds courtesy of Bovada

The UCLA Bruins are 13-3 on the season and 2-1 in Pac-12 play but enter tonight’s contest at Colorado as one-point underdogs according to college basketball oddsmakers at Bovada.

The Bruins won big over Arizona State 87-72 on Jan 12, just three nights after having fallen to No. 1 overall Arizona. The Bruins rank 6th in the nation in scoring, averaging 86.3 points per game, and the team hits an outstanding 51.4 percent from the floor.

6’5″ sophomore guard Jordan Adams leads the Bruins in scoring with 18.1 points per game, while also grabbing 5.5 rebounds and averaging 2.4 assists. Last season as a freshman, Adams posted big numbers (15.3 points per game) and he’s only gotten better in year two. Though he struggled with his shot in the loss to Arizona (4-of-15 from the floor), he played hard and grabbed 11 rebounds, dished out three assists and came up with three steals.

Kyle Anderson is a nice option for the Bruins at the 4-spot too. The 6’9 forward has shot 48 percent from three-point range and 52 percent from the floor, averaging 15.3 points and 9.3 rebounds a game as a sophomore. The Bruins have a nice young team that should only get better moving forward, assuming the players stay.

Colorado is 14-3 on the season and 3-1 in Pac-12 play. The team lost 71-54 to Washington last time out, but prior to that the Buffaloes had won four straight with wins over Georgia, Oregon State, then-No. 10 Oregon and Washington State.

Spencer Dinwiddle leads Colorado in scoring with 14.7 points per game, and he also leads the team in assists (3.8). The 6’6″ junior guard has struggled to get involved lately, getting up just nine shots over the last two games. Dinwiddle had a huge game in the upset victory over Oregon, scoring 23 points, 10 of which came at the free throw line, but in the loss to Washington he suffered a knee injury that is going to cause him to miss the rest of the season. It’s a huge blow to Colorado and derails what was shaping up to be a good season. Still, the team finds itself slight favorites in this contest against UCLA.