The South Carolina State Bulldogs (0-3) are off to a slow start and will try to get their first victory when they meet the No. 23 UCLA Bruins (2-0) at Pauley Pavilion. Tip-off is scheduled for 9 p.m. ET on Friday, November 17, 2017, and it can be seen on Pac-12 Network.
South Carolina State Bulldogs at UCLA Bruins Free Preview
The Bulldogs were blown out by the Yale Bulldogs in their last outing, 86-54. Damani Applewhite had a solid performance for South Carolina State, leading the team in scoring with 13 points on 4-for-7 shooting. Yales 0.553 effective field goal percentage was their biggest advantage over South Carolina State, who had a rate of 0.307.
In the Bruins last game, they defeated the Central Arkansas Bears, 106-101. UCLAs Kris Wilkes had a good game, putting up 20 points and 12 rebounds. UCLA played a nearly flawless game. They had a free throw rate of 0.253 and an offensive rebounding percentage of 33.3. Central Arkansas was 0.089 and 22.2, respectively, for those same stats.
UCLA could dominate on the offensive side of the ball as their high-powered offense squares off against one of the NCAAs worst defenses. The Bruins rank first in offensive efficiency, while South Carolina State ranks 346th in defensive efficiency since the 2016-17 season. Moreover, the Bulldogs rank 297th in free throw attempt (FTA) rate (0.213), while the Bruins rank sixth in opponents FTA rate (0.172).
The Bulldogs are 11-23 straight up (SU) and 4-1 against the spread (ATS) since last season. Vegas has had a tendency to place the total low when South Carolina State is involved since last season as 100.0 percent of their games have finished over the O/U total.
The Bruins are 31-4 SU since last season, but are just 17-21 ATS. Games including UCLA have gone under the projected point total 52.6 percent of the time over that same stretch.
South Carolina State Bulldogs at UCLA Bruins Odds Prediction
Predictions: SU Winner – UCLA, ATS Winner – UCLA, O/U – Over
Betting Notes (2016-Present):
- The Bruins rank 65th in three pointers attempted per game (23.8) while the Bulldogs rank 276th (18.2).
- South Carolina State ranks 19th in steals allowed per game (4.8) while UCLA ranks 170th (6.4).
- UCLA ranks 37th in rebounds per game (38.7) while South Carolina State ranks 300th (31.6).
- The Bruins rank first in assists per game (21.1) while the Bulldogs rank 261st (11.9).
- UCLA ranks 14th in blocks per game (5.3) while South Carolina State ranks 261st (2.0).
