Utah State vs UCLA Prediction 3/20/25 College Basketball Picks

The Utah State Aggies and the UCLA Bruins meet Thursday in college basketball action from the Pauley Pavilion. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a Utah State vs. UCLA prediction.

Utah State Recap

The Utah State Aggies come into the NCAA tournament on behalf of the Mountain West, sitting at 26-7 on the year including a 15-5 mark in Mountain West conference play. As the 3-seed in the Mountain West tournament, Utah State took out UNLV before falling short against Colorado State in the conference semi-finals.

Aggies Making Third Straight NCAA Tournament Appearance

Ian Martinez leads the Aggies in scoring with 16.8 PPG and 2.7 APG along with 3.5 RPG while Mason Falslev has 14.9 PPG with a team-high 6.2 RPG and 3.7 APG to lead the Aggies in rebounding as the only other double-digit scorer for Utah State up to this point in the year. Karson Templin has 7.5 PPG with 5 RPG while Dexter Akanno has 8.3 PPG with 3.3 RPG and Drake Allen added a team-high 3.9 APG to lead the Aggies in assists. Deyton Albury has 7.7 PPG with 2.4 RPG as well this season. As a team, Utah State is averaging 80.9 PPG on 49% shooting from the field, 36.5% from three, and 70.3% from the foul line this season.

Why the Utah State Aggies will win

• Utah State has won 15 of its last 16 night games against non-conference opponents.
• UCLA has lost each of its last four night games played at neutral venues.

UCLA Recap

The UCLA Bruins come into the NCAA tournament repping the Big Ten, finishing the year with an overall record of 22-10, including a 13-7 mark in Big Ten conference play. UCLA’s stay in the Big Ten tournament was short-lived, as the Bruins, the 4-seed, were knocked out by Wisconsin in the quarterfinals.

Bruins In 4th NCAA Tournament In Last 5 Years

Tyler Bilodeau leads the Bruins in scoring with 13.6 PPG along with 4.5 RPG while Eric Dailey Jr. has 11.6 PPG with 4.1 RPG as the only other double-digit scorer for UCLA up to this point in the year. Sebastian Mack has 9.9 PPG while Dylan Andrews has 7.1 PPG with 3.3 APG and Kobe Johnson chipped in 8.1 PPG with team-highs of 5.9 RPG and 3 APG as well as 1.7 SPG to lead the Bruins in rebounding, assists and steals as well this season. Skyy Clark also added 8 PPG and 2.9 RPG with 2.8 APG as well this season. As a team, UCLA is averaging 74.8 PPG on 46.6% shooting from the field, 35.2% from three, and 70.3% from the foul line this season.

Why the UCLA Bruins will win

• UCLA has won each of its last six night games against non-conference opponents.

Total Points Facts

• Each of UCLA’s last eight night games against non-AP-ranked opponents at a neutral venue has produced a total of 140 or fewer points.
• Six of Utah State’s last seven night games have produced a total of 147+ points.

Utah State vs. UCLA Prediction

I’m on Utah State and the points here. I just feel like Utah State is the more battle-tested team here even though the Big Ten is a tougher conference than the Mountain West. Utah State had a solid non-conference schedule, and side-by-side, I just trust Utah State’s offense more in a matchup like this. I think Utah State is live in this matchup so I’ll gladly side with the Aggies and the points in this one.

Chris Ruffolo's Pick: Utah State +5.5