UCLA vs. Arizona Jan. 24 Free Pick
Bouncing back on a two-game winning streak after their first loss of the season, #7 Arizona hosts UCLA Thursday
night at 9:00 PM ET. The Bruins will look to get back on track after a home loss at the hands of the Oregon
Ducks – the same team that ended the ‘Cats’ shot at an undefeated season. Sports books have
opened this game up in the double-digits with Arizona -10 on their home floor. 
Free Pick
With their only loss coming in Oregon, Arizona obviously is undefeated at the McKale Center. Many analysts have admitted to not be able to peg quite how good Arizona is, despite their stellar record. They are riding a two-game winning streak that are built on two road wins of the double-digit variety (at Oregon State, at Arizona State). Fifth-year senior transfer from Xavier, Mark Lyons continues to be Arizona’s best overall offensive weapon as he, Solomon Hill and Nick Johnson carry the offense as a bona fide “big 3” out West. The Wildcats also feature arguably the best sixth man in the nation in Kevin Parrom (8.9 ppg). Parrom combines an inside-out offensive game with tenaciousness on the glass. He brings loads of energy when he enters the game and is a fan-favorite of the students at McKale. Caleb Tarczewski came into his freshman year with big expectations but the 7-foot center has yet to live up to the hype. His 5.9 points per game and 6 rebounds per game are slowly improving but Tarczewski has been criticized for his lack of toughness inside. He will need to play big for Arizona to be able to not only beat UCLA, but cover.
Highly-regarded entering the season, UCLA has fallen out of the top-25 but have just one loss in the conference. After being suspended to start the season, freshman sensation Shabazz Muhammad is beginning to make a name for himself on the national stage. Muhammad is averaging a shade under 18 points per game while shooting 45.8 percent from downtown. Freshman guard Jordan Adams joins him with over 15 points per game to combine to be the highest-scoring freshman duo in the nation. While they lack some athleticism on the inside, UCLA certainly has the size and aggressiveness advantage on the block with junior twins Travis and David Wear. The two combine to grab over 10 rebounds a game and score nearly 20. Kyle Anderson is the third cant-miss freshman the Bruins will trot out there. The forward averages over 9 points and 9 rebounds per game in his first year as a Bruin.
This game should be very quick end-to-end as both teams have speed and like to get out and run to take advantage of somewhat stagnant half court offenses at times. Arizona is the more refined team at home but UCLA has plenty of matchups they can and most-likely will exploit throughout the game. Lean Arizona to win this game straight-up but the lurking possibility of an upset here combined with the 10 points on the spread is much more than enough to warrant a play on UCLA here. Take the double-digit ‘dog and expect a close game between two teams that have aspirations of winning the Pac-12.
Free Pick: UCLA +10