The UCLA Bruins, ranked No. 1 in the country for the first time in program history, concludes its week-long East Coast trip with a matchup in College Park against the eighth-ranked Maryland Terrapins on Sunday afternoon at 2 pm ET on NBC.
The Bruins have reached the NCAA tournament eight times under 14th-year coach Cori Close, including two straight trips to the Sweet 16. But this year’s group has reached new heights. UCLA has been ranked No. 1 for nine straight weeks. The Bruins are 19-0 overall, 7-0 in the Big Ten and 6-0 on the road. The team currently sits second in the conference, a half game behind rival USC.
Close’s contingent has been dominating throughout the season. The Bruins ended defending national champion South Carolina’s 43-game win streak with a 15-point victory, and they have also defeated ranked Louisville, Michigan, and Baylor squads. UCLA has won its seven Big Ten contests by an average of 20 points.
The Terrapins are in the midst of an ultra-demanding stretch, featuring six ranked squads in seven games. The team is 16-3 overall and 9-1 at home, knocking off ranked Duke, Michigan State, Iowa, and Minnesota teams. However, it has lost two straight and 3-of-5 since starting the season 14-0.
A tough, five-point defeat to USC ended the perfect regular season, but things have gotten worse recently. The Terrapins lost key contributor Bri McDaniel for the season with a torn right ACL suffered in a win over Minnesota. This week, Maryland was pounded by 38 in an 89-51 loss to Texas at the Coretta Scott King Classic in Newark, New Jersey. In that game, second-leading scorer Shayenne Sellers went down in the second quarter with a right knee sprain.
In the Terps’ last outing, Christina Dalce had 10 points and 18 rebounds and leading scorer Kaylene Smikle had 17 points, but the team squandered a 15-point first-half lead and fell at Ohio State, 74-66.
UCLA is one of only two undefeated teams remaining in the nation, along with No. 5 LSU. Will that still be the case after this afternoon’s contest? See below for our experts’ predictions for this Top-10 matchup.
Lauren Betts (20.3 ppg, 10.1 rpg, 2.9 bpg) has been a beast in the paint for the Bruins all season. The All-American candidate is fourth in the nation in blocks and had 25 points, 13 rebounds and five blocks in UCLA’s last game, an 18-point victory at Rutgers. She was even more dominant against Baylor on Monday night in the first game of the Coretta Scott King Classic. She had 24 points, nine rebounds, and a school-record nine blocks in the 72-57 win over the Bears. The 6-foot-7 Betts has 21 blocks in her last three games and Maryland will not have an answer for her inside at either end of the court.
Kiki Rice (12.8 ppg) and Gabriela Jacquez (10.3 ppg, 5.6 rpg) are the only other Bruins averaging in double figures, but the deep squad has seven players averaging eight points or more a game.
Maryland actually has seven players averaging nine points or more, but with McDaniel out for the season, and Sellers’ return today still uncertain, Maryland’s depth takes a huge hit.
Look for UCLA to leave College Park unbeaten while covering the 12.5-point spread as favorites.
Both teams are ranked in the Top 20 in scoring this season. UCLA is going for 82.4 points a game, with Maryland not far behind at 81.3. The difference is at the other end of the court, where the Bruins allow just 54.4 points per contest, good for 13th in the nation. Maryland is allowing 10 more points a game.
The Bruins are a good bet to eclipse 80 points for the 12th time this season, and Maryland will look to keep pace with them as long as possible. That should result in the two teams surpassing the point total.
Read more betting picks and predictions for College Basketball on site.
UCLA | -1200 ML |
Maryland | +750 ML |
Spread | UCLA -12.5 |
Total Points | O/U 147.5 |
Read the latest College Basketball news on site.
This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.