UCLA Bruins vs California Bears Pick and Preview
UCLA (20-7) at California (20-7) – Saturday, Feb. 28 - 9 p.m. Eastern - ESPN The UCLA Bruins and California Golden Bears enter this week with identical 20-7 overall records and 9-5 league records. They've arrived at those identical records in vastly different fashions of late, however. UCLA will be attempting to halt a recent downswing, while California will be trying to stay hot when the #19 Bruins and Bears play Saturday at Cal.
ESPN will televise the UCLA-California game from Berkeley at 9 p.m. Eastern Saturday as part of its College GameDay broadcast. Before Saturday's UCLA-California game, Cal will play host to USC Thursday night, while UCLA will visit Stanford. Entering this week, UCLA and California are tied for third in the Pac 10, one game behind Washington and Arizona State in the loss column.
Season Results: For Cal, it has been a strange Pac 10 season. The Bears have swept two games from Pac-10 leader Washington, but they also have lost twice to seventh-place Oregon State. California opened Pac 10 play at 4-0, including a home win against then-#14 Arizona State, before losing four of its next five games, including an 81-66 setback at UCLA. Cal then responded to win four straight league games before losing last Saturday at Oregon State, 65-54.
After a very strong start to league play, the Bruins will enter Saturday's UCLA-California game on their worst skid of the season. UCLA defeated cross-town rival USC 76-60 Feb. 4 to climb to 8-2 in the Pac 10. Since then, though, UCLA has dropped three of four league games, only defeating first-place Washington, 85-76.
In the first UCLA-Cal game Jan. 29 at Pauley Pavilion, UCLA never trailed. California was within three points, 31-28, early in the second half, but UCLA blew the game open with a 19-2 run. The Bruins shot 54.9% from the field in the game, and Darren Collison scored 18 points.
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California has lost only one home game this season, 65-59, to Oregon State Jan. 22. After winning its first four Pac 10 games away from home, UCLA has lost three straight league road games.
UCLA has won eight of its last nine meetings with Cal.
Point Spread Records: Entering this week, California has won four of its last five games ATS. That streak comes after Cal had lost five straight games ATS. In home games against Pac 10 opponents, the Bears are 5-2 ATS. As a home underdog, California is 2-0 outright and ATS, upsetting Washington, 86-71, and Arizona State, 81-71.
UCLA enters the week having lost four straight games ATS, but the Bruins had won four straight ATS prior to their losing streak. In road games against Pac 10 opponents, UCLA is 2-5 ATS, including four straight losses. UCLA has been an underdog only twice this season, losing 86-75 at Washington as a 2-point underdog and losing 68-64 at Texas as a 6-point underdog.
In the first UCLA-California meeting, UCLA covered the number as a 10-point favorite. UCLA also has won four straight games at Cal, both outright and ATS.
2008: UCLA (-4) 70, California 58
2007: UCLA (-6) 62, California 46
2006: UCLA 67, California (-1) 58, overtime
2005: UCLA 77, California (-2) 62
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