In a First Round NCAA Tournament game, the 4-seed UCLA Bruins will face off with the 13-seed Akron Zips in the East Region. Let’s take a look at the top college basketball betting odds, picks, bracketology, betting trends and KenPom Rankings, then give our UCLA vs Akron prediction for the game today.
UCLA vs Akron | NCAA Tournament Bracketology
2022 NCAA Tournament
No. 4 UCLA Bruins (25-7) vs. No. 13 Akron Zips (24-9)
Date: Thursday, March 17, 2022
Time: 9:50 PM EST
Venue: Moda Center — Portland, OR
Coverage: TBS
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UCLA vs Akron College Basketball Betting Picks and Odds
All college basketball betting odds for UCLA vs Akron can be found at BetUS Sportsbook.
Moneyline: UCLA: (-1400) | AKR: (+800)
Point Spread: UCLA: -13.5 (-110) | AKR: +13.5 (-110)
Total: 128 — Over: (-110) | Under: (-110)
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KenPom Rankings | Bracketology
KenPom Rankings are from KenPom.com
| Team | Rk | AdjO | AdjD | AdjT |
| UCLA | No. 8 | 116.5 (No. 15) | 91.2 (No. 12) | 65.5 (No. 258) |
| Akron | No. 131 | 106.2 (No. 113) | 102.7 (No. 166) | 62.1 (No. 351) |
UCLA vs Akron College Basketball Betting Trends
- Bruins are 4-0 ATS in their last four games following an ATS loss.
- The total has gone OVER in each of the Bruins’ last five games followign a straight up loss.
- Bruins are 6-0 ATS in their last six NCAA Tournament games.
- Zips are 4-0 ATS in their last four games against teams with a winning percentage above .600.
- Zips are 6-1 ATS in their last seven games following a straight up win.
- In their last eight games overall, the Zips are 7-1 ATS.
UCLA vs Akron Prediction | March Madness Picks and Bracketology
After reaching the Final Four and nearly the national title game last season, the vast majority of UCLA’s core returned this season. Mick Cronin’s group is eyeing a championship, and one could make a real case that the Bruins got the shaft on Selection Sunday. Despite being power-rated eighth overall according to KenPom and also boasting a top-10 NET ranking, UCLA only managed to earn a 4-seed in the NCAA Tournament.
While the perception is that the Pac-12 was bad this season, UCLA joins Arizona in being a legitimate threat to win it all. Johnny Juzang opted to return to school as opposed to sticking the NBA Draft process through. He led a quartet of Bruins who averaged in double figures scoring this season with Jaime Jacquez Jr., three-point marksman Jules Bernard and point guard Tyger Campbell also achieving this feat.
Where UCLA tends to get overlooked is on the defensive end. Their efficiency numbers speak for themselves. Combined with the fact that Akron plays at one of the slowest paces in all of college basketball and it’s no wonder the total is set low for this matchup. This calls into question such a large point spread in favor of the Bruins. While UCLA is clearly the superior team, a lower-scoring contest would offer less wiggle room when it comes to covering as 13.5-point favorites. With defense and a plodding pace expected, the Zips should be able to hang within the hefty number.
Our college basketball betting UCLA vs Akron prediction tonight will be Akron +13.5 at BetUS.
For what it’s worth, the ESPN Matchup Predictor gives UCLA a 93.2% chance to win.
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