UCLA vs Purdue Prediction, Lines & Odds (Friday, Feb. 28)

• Purdue hosts UCLA at Mackey Arena Friday at 8 p.m. in a Big Ten battle.

• After leading the Big Ten, Purdue has dropped four in a row and fallen into a tie for fourth place. The Boilermakers are 5.5-point favorites at home.

• Check out our look at the best lines, odds and prediction for Friday night’s Big Ten clash.

No. 20 Purdue (19-9, 15-13 ATS) tries to get back in the Big Ten race when it hosts UCLA (20-8, 16-11-1) at Mackey Arena Friday night.

Both teams are in a three-way tie with Maryland for fourth in the Big Ten. The top four teams in the conference receive byes to the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals, and you’d rather play three games in three days than four in four.

UCLA has won nine of their last 11 and lead the Big Ten with 8.3 steals a game. This is the first meeting between these two schools since 2000.

I’ve got your full look at UCLA vs Purdue, including the best odds and our prediction.

UCLA vs Purdue Odds

Odds as of Feb. 28 at BetMGM Sportsbook. Be sure to check our BetMGM review before making a bet on any March Madness contest.

The Boilermakers are 5.5-point favorites at all our favorite sportsbooks. Purdue is 12-2 at home. They have lost their last three games against the spread and are 15-12-1 over/under. The total in this one is 138.5 at most places, but you can get 139 at Caesars.

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UCLA is a weak 10-18 over/under (they are a good defensive team) and 6-6 on the road in neutral-site games. They’re also 7-3 in games decided by five points or less.

The best moneyline bet is for UCLA is +205 at DraftKings. For Purdue, its -230 at FanDuel.

Purdue Betting Analysis

Purdue looked like the team to beat in the Big Ten until two weeks ago. They have been ranked as high as No. 6 in the nation, but have lost four in a row, including a stunning 15-point loss to Indiana after holding a 12-point halftime lead.

In the loss to Indiana, Purdue committed 15 turnovers, 11 in the second half. Purdue hasn’t lost four games in a row since the 2019-2020 season, and players held a “Players Only” meeting during the week. Sometimes, that’s a good sign; sometimes, it’s not.

Junior forward Trey Kaufman-Renn has been one of the best players in the Big Ten, averaging 19.2 points for Purdue. Guard Braden Smith is dishing out 8.7 assists a game, but Purdue has some issues defensively. Teams are shooting almost 50 percent against the Boilermakers, which means there are too many easy shots.

UCLA Betting Analysis

UCLA has won nine of its last 11 games, and those two losses (to Minnesota and Illinois) are by a combined eight points.

The Bruins are doing it with defense. They rank 21st in the nation, allowing 64.6 points a game, and lead the conference with 8.3 steals.

Offensively, the Bruins aren’t as flashy as they used to be. Tyler Bilodeau, a 6-foot-9 forward leads UCLA with 13.9 points a game. He also made seven threes in a game earlier this month. He’s your typical stretch four. Eric Dailey, a sophomore forward, is second on the team in scoring at 11.6. UCLA also has three different player with over 70 assists.

UCLA vs Purdue Prediction

• UCLA +5.5 at FanDuel

It’s the team meeting that does it for us. Something is going on at Purdue. Maybe it’s fatigue, but the rest of the Big 10 has figured out something about the Boilermakers. I like UCLA with the points, because even if they don’t win outright, I don’t expect Purdue to win by a lot.

I do have some concerns about the long trip for UCLA, but neither team has played since Sunday, so UCLA should be well-rested. I just think if UCLA puts some pressure on Purdue, the Boilermakers may crack.