UCLA vs Colorado Prediction, Odds & Best Bet for March 9 Pac-12 Tournament (Bruins Pull Away During Second Half)

UCLA vs Colorado Game Info

• 2022-23 NCAA Basketball Pac-12 Tournament Game
• No. 2 UCLA (27-4, 18-2 Pac-12) vs. Colorado (17-15, 8-12 Pac-12)
• Date: Thursday, March 9, 2023
• Time: 3:00 p.m. ET
• Venue: T-Mobile Arena -- Las Vegas, Nevada
• Coverage: Pac-12 Network

The Pac-12 Tournament continues on Thursday with an exciting matchup between the Colorado Buffaloes and the UCLA Bruins. Neither team has won the conference title since the 2013-14 season. The winner of this quarterfinal matchup will play the victor of the Washington State vs Oregon game.

Colorado enters as a loser in four of its last seven games but did earn a 74-68 win over Washington in the first round on Wednesday. Meanwhile, UCLA is in the midst of a 10-game winning streak that included an 82-73 win over Arizona on Saturday.

Which Pac-12 team will advance on Thursday? Let's dig in to find out.

UCLA vs Colorado Odds & Spread

• All college basketball betting lines, odds and prop bets are from FanDuel Sportsbook.
• Moneyline: UCLA: (-490) | COLO: (+365)
• Spread: UCLA: -9.5 (-110) | COLO: +9.5 (-110)
• Total: 132.5 -- Over: (-115) | Under: (-105)

UCLA enters this contest as a clear favorite on the moneyline and spread per FanDuel Sportsbook's odds. This 3 p.m. ET clash also features an over/under of 132.5 points, which is about average compared to Thursday's projected totals.

UCLA vs Colorado Betting Trends

• UCLA's record against the spread is 18-13-0.
• The Bruins are 12-7 as 8.5-point favorites or more.
• UCLA has played 31 games this season, and 15 of them have gone over the total.
• Colorado's record against the spread is 15-17-0.
• As a 8.5-point underdog or greater, the Buffaloes have two wins ATS (2-1).
• This year, 14 of Colorado's 32 games have hit the over.

UCLA Rank	UCLA AVG		Colorado AVG	Colorado Rank
120th	74.2	Points Scored	70.1	213th
5th	60.1	Points Allowed	66.3	70th
117th	32.7	Rebounds	33.8	60th
28th	10.5	Off. Rebounds	9.6	85th
310th	6.1	3pt Made	6.4	285th
93rd	14.3	Assists	13	181st
20th	9.8	Turnovers	12.7	263rd

UCLA vs Colorado Prediction & Pick

The Buffaloes were up by as much as 14 points on Wednesday night but found themselves tied with the Huskies with under two minutes left to play, so it was far from a dominant victory for Colorado. The road to a Pac-12 title doesn't get any easier as a rested UCLA squad stands in the way on Thursday.

The Bruins have rarely been tested during their winning streak as seven of their 10 wins have come by at least nine points. That should come as no surprise considering UCLA ranks among the top 60 teams in both offensive and defensive efficiency this year. It is as balanced as any team in the nation.

Colorado has lost seven of its last eight games against UCLA, so fade the Buffaloes in this one.

Final Score Prediction: UCLA: 71 | Colorado: 61

UCLA vs Colorado Best Bet

It's worth taking a look back at the two regular-season meetings between these teams. UCLA was down three points at halftime on Jan. 14 before blasting Colorado 40-23 in the second half. It was then down two points at halftime on Feb. 26 before outpacing the Buffaloes 32-26 in the second half.

It's clear that head coach Mick Cronin is capable of making some stellar adjustments at the break. UCLA owns the 10th-best second-half average scoring margin in the country (+5.8) and is averaging 39.0 second-half points over its last three contests. Back the Bruins to keep balling out late in games.

Bet: UCLA Bruins Second Half -4.5 (-112)

Larry Rupp is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Larry Rupp also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username phillyfan424. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel. 

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.