Arizona vs. UCLA Prediction, Men's College Basketball Odds & Best Bets (11/2)

Fact checked at 8:47 AM ET, Nov 2, 2026

Odds as of 8:46 AM ET, Nov 2, 2026

No. 5 Arizona and No. 22 UCLA open their seasons at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, the second game of a doubleheader with a listed 10:00 PM ET tip on TNT. Arizona is a 4.5-point favorite. We think Mick Cronin gets the game he wants here: a slow, half-court opener between two rebuilt backcourts, with too few possessions for the score to reach the total or for Arizona to pull away. An Arizona 72-69 win cashes both picks.

Opening night leaves us with last season's tempo, the last two meetings and the projected lineups. Arizona won't have Clemson transfer RJ Godfrey, who is still ineligible after a Texas judge tentatively denied his request for a temporary restraining order. Both starting fives are projected, not confirmed.

Arizona vs. UCLA Predictions

• Pick #1: Under 149.5 (-110)
• Pick #2: UCLA +4.5 (-108)

PICK #1: Under 149.5 (-110)

Cronin's UCLA teams have finished outside the top 300 nationally in adjusted tempo in each of the last three seasons. Tommy Lloyd's Arizona teams have been top 50 in every one of his seasons. Somebody's pace has to give, and in the last two meetings, both on neutral floors, it was Arizona's. UCLA won 57-54 in Phoenix two seasons ago. Arizona won 69-65 at Intuit Dome last season, 134 points against a total of 153.5. Different rosters, same two coaches.

Both teams also have new players handling the ball. Arizona's starting backcourt is new: North Carolina transfer Derek Dixon runs the point and freshman Caleb Holt plays the off-guard spot, with Washington transfer JJ Mandaquit expected to be the top reserve. UCLA lost Donovan Dent, who ran its offense last season, and leading scorer Tyler Bilodeau (17.6 points a game), so Trent Perry and Texas Tech transfer Jaylen Petty now share the point. Cronin doesn't expect the freshmen to find it easy: "A lot less space in the college game to operate, and the guys guarding you are a lot older than the ones in high school that are playing intramurals right now."

At -110 the break-even is 52.4%. A first game played at UCLA's speed should clear that.

Transition is what beats it. Arizona's guards pressure the ball, UCLA's handlers are new to running this offense, and live-ball turnovers turn into easy points. Most of the tickets are on the Under, though the Over is drawing a bigger share of the money than of the bets.

PICK #2: UCLA +4.5 (-108)

We want the points for the same reason. Fewer possessions give the better team fewer chances to stretch a lead, and the last two meetings were decided by three and four points. UCLA won the Phoenix game outright as the underdog.

UCLA also has the more settled group. It returns three starters in Xavier Booker, Eric Dailey Jr. and Perry, and Petty and freshman Nikola Kusturica are projected to fill out the same five that started both exhibitions. Arizona brings back two starters from last season's Final Four team, Motiejus Krivas and Ivan Kharchenkov. Godfrey would have started at the four with Kharchenkov at the three. Without him, Bryce James is projected to start.

Lloyd knows what he's up against. "Mick's always done a really good job at trying to figure out a couple matchup-type things he feels comfortable in, and like making your defense make decisions and simple little actions where he can kind of create some certainty," he said.

The price of -108 implies 51.9%. About 70% of spread bets are on Arizona, and most of the previews we read lean the same way, so we're going against the crowd here.

Size is the worry. Booker is the only player taller than 6-foot-9 in UCLA's rotation, and Krivas, the Big 12 preseason player of the year, could take over inside if Booker gets in foul trouble. If a court clears Godfrey before tip, Arizona has its planned starting five and this pick is weaker.

21+ (18+ where permitted). Odds subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call 1-800-GAMBLER.