UCLA vs. Michigan State basketball game preview and prediction

UCLA hosts first-place Michigan State on Tuesday night in a clash between two Blue Blood programs.

Michigan State v UCLA
Michigan State v UCLA | Mitchell Layton/GettyImages

UCLA looks to get their sixth straight victory against the Spartans in this clash between two teams in the top four of the current Big Ten standings.

Here is a look at both team profiles heading into this game.

Overall Record: 16-6 Overall
Current standings among analytical rankings (2/2/25): NET: #28, KenPom: #28, EvanMiya: #33, Barttorvik: #24, and BPI: #30
Quad One and Two victories this season: Washington (69-58), Arizona (57-54) in the Hall of Fame Rivalry, @ Oregon (73-71), Gonzaga (65-62) in the West Coast Hoops Showdown, Iowa (94-70), Wisconsin (85-83), @ Washington (65-60), and Oregon (78-52).
Defeats this season: New Mexico (64-72) on a neutral court, North Carolina (74-74) in the CBS Sports Classic, @ Nebraska (58-66), Michigan (75-94), @ Maryland (61-79), and @ Rutgers (68-75).

Overall Record: 18-3
Current standings among analytical rankings (2/2/25): NET: #20 KenPom: #17 EvanMiya: #9 Barttorvik: #14 BPI: #16
Quad One and Two victories this season: Colorado (72-56), North Carolina (94-91) in the Maui Invitational, Samford (83-75), @ Minnesota (90-72), Nebraska (89-72), Florida Atlantic (86-69), @ Ohio State (69-62), Washington (88-54), @ Northwestern (78-68), Penn State (90-85), Illinois (80-78), @ Rutgers (81-74), and Minnesota (73-51).
Defeats this season: Memphis in the Maui Invitational (63-71), Kansas (69-77) in the State Farm Champions Classic, and USC (64-70).

The history of when these two teams have played one another.

Since the 1949-50 season, here is the head-to-head record: UCLA leads the series against Michigan State with seven wins and four losses.

Since the 2003-2004 season, here is the head-to-head record: The Bruins lead the series against the Spartans with four wins and three losses.

An interesting fact about the last five times these teams have played each other: UCLA and Michigan State have played each other on neutral courts the previous five times they have faced off against each other in basketball.

The last time these two teams faced each other: These two teams played each other in the NCAA tournament but, more significantly, in the most watched play-in game in tournament history. UCLA won that game in overtime and made it to the Final Four that year.

Here are the starters and key players for each team.

UCLA: Projected starters are Tyler Bilodeau, Eric Dailey Jr., Skyy Clark, Dylan Andrews, and Kobe Johnson. Key players off the bench are Aday Mara, Sebastian Mack, and Lazar Stefanovic.

Michigan State: Projected starters are Jaden Akins, Jeremy Fear Jr., Tre Holloman, Szymon Zapala, and Jaxon Kohler. Key players off the bench are Jase Richardson, Frankie Fidler, Carson Cooper, and Xavier Booker.

Game prediction for UCLA vs. Michigan State.

Before their loss at USC, Michigan State had won 13 straight games. UCLA has won five consecutive games after losing four straight games. Both teams are led by high-profile coaches, with Mick Cronin leading the Bruins and Hall of Fame coach Tom Izzo leading the Spartans. Michigan State and UCLA are both programs that have defense as a staple of their programs. Each school is considered a Blue Blood program with a rich basketball tradition. With this game at Pauley Pavilion and the Bruins having more rest than the Spartans, UCLA wins in overtime by a score of 81-78 in a surprisingly high-scoring game.

Schedule

Schedule