Sacramento State vs UCLA odds and prediction

UCLA heads back home to Pauley Pavilion for a non-conference matchup with Sacramento State on Tuesday night as a 26.5-point favorite. The Bruins are coming off a 69-65 defeat at the hands of the Arizona Wildcats. A game that was there for the taking until Jaden Bradley had a late game heater to ice it. The Bruins now sit at 3-1 and still are working things out as a team. They now have their full starting lineup intact and looking to gain some rhythm.

Each game there seems to be something new that needs to be fixed. Whether it was free throw shooting, defense, rotations or rebounding. Now the issues arise from bench play and points in the paint. UCLA has struggled to stop teams from getting into the paint and score. Arizona was able to score 38 of their 69 points there and UCLA did not have an answer for them.

The competition will only get tougher in the next few weeks, and Sacramento State offers the opportunity to get back on track. At 3-2 on the season, they are not on the same level of talent as UCLA, but the Bruins can’t play the way they did against Pepperdine and Eastern Washington. Step on the gas and keep your foot on it. You can’t coast to victory in college basketball, all teams recruit players to their school and anything can happen.

UCLA will need to fix their bench woes as well. Against Arizona the bench only had three points all coming from Trent Perry. That is not the recipe for success long term. The bench needs to be able to score. We expect UCLA to trend in the right direction and the days off helping them right the ship on their flaws. Confidence will need to be found before the Big Ten schedule begins.

Prediction: UCLA 84 - Sacramento State 57 (cover -26.5 but points fall under 142.5)