The UCLA Bruins, the 11th seed in the South Region, take on the SMU Mustangs today in the NCAA Tournament Second Round. The game is scheduled for a 3:10 p.m. start time and it will be televised nationally on truTV. Currently the College Basketball Betting Odds for the game have the Mustangs favored by a couple of buckets to advance in the field.
Larry Brown has the SMU Mustangs playing well, coming into the NCAA Tournament having beaten defending champion Connecticut in the conference tournament finals. Winners of 27 games, the Mustangs come into today’s came on a four-game winning streak. SMU will have to play well on the defensive end of the floor to pick up a victory in this game and advance.
UCLA comes into the contest scoring an average of 72 points per game. The Mustangs have held opponents under 60 points per game for the season and have been very good in field goal defense, forcing teams into taking bad shots and not allowing offensive rebounds. Opponents shoot just 38 percent against them this season, which is seventh nationally. SMU has won 19 of their last 20 games overall when holding opponents below 40 percent shooting.
Many thought UCLA shouldn’t have been placed in the tournament. Head coach Steve Alford and his Bruins are not paying attention to the talk, though. The Bruins believe they have done enough to get here, winning six of their last 10 games overall and scoring at least 85 points in five of the six wins.
SMU is in the tournament for the first time since the 1993 season. UCLA made it to the Sweet 16 last year before falling to Florida.
In today’s game, SMU will play well enough on the defensive end to make a difference. The Mustangs advance with a win.
Free Pick: SMU 68, UCLA 63
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