UCLA vs UNLV Odds, Lines, and Spread (Nov. 27)

• The #2-ranked UCLA Bruins are 10.5-point road favorites over the UNLV Runnin’ Rebels in their NCAA men’s basketball game slated for Saturday, November 27
• UCLA (5-1) lost 83-63 to the #1 Gonzaga Bulldogs in their previous game
• Read below for analysis and a betting prediction

While it’s true that a UCLA-UNLV matchup might not hold the same magic it once did, that doesn’t mean the arrival of the Bruins to the Thomas & Mack Center on Saturday afternoon should be taken lightly. Regardless of where the schools sit in the respective rankings, it’s still a big game.

The Bruins will be coming into this contest off their first loss of the season. Gonzaga beat UCLA 83-63 in a #1 vs #2 matchup. The second-ranked Bruins dropped to 5-1 on the season.

UNLV are 4-2. The Runnin’ Rebels lost to Wichita State by a point and were beaten 74-61 by the #4-ranked Michigan Wolverines at T-Mobile Arena.

Oddsmakers are setting UCLA up as solid 10.5-point road favorites for this game. The Bruins are just 3-3 against the spread this season.

UCLA vs UNLV Odds

Odds as of November 26th at FanDuel.

Tipoff for Saturday’s game is set for 5pm ET. The broadcast is being carried by Stadium.

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UCLA Bruins Betting Trends

Putting the basketball through the hoop isn’t proving problematic for the Bruins. On average, UCLA scored more than 90 points per game while opening 4-0 with home victories over Cal State Bakersfield, Villanova, Long Beach State and North Florida.

.@JohnnyJuzang with the LONG two. He has 5️⃣ early points.

📺: ESPN
📱: https://t.co/yly0ChdiwD#GoBruins pic.twitter.com/X1Mm0y084B

— UCLA Men’s Basketball (@UCLAMBB) November 24, 2021

Junior guard Johnny Juzang is averaging a team-best 18.3 points per game. UCLA is shooting 46.5% from the field and 37.7% from the beyond the 3-point arc. However, those numbers fell off in the Bruins’ past two games. UCLA shot 45% against Bellarmine and just 34% against Gonzaga.

UCLA is still without senior Cody Riley. The 6-foot-9 forward is the inside shooting presence for the Bruins. He suffered a knee injury in UCLA’s season opener and hasn’t played since. Riley is expected to be missing for at least two more weeks.

UNLV Runnin’ Rebels Betting Trends

This will be UNLV’s seventh straight game in Las Vegas. They are 4-0 at the Thomas & Mack Center and 0-2 at T-Mobile Arena. UNLV started with three straight home-court wins against Gardner-Webb, California and North Dakota State. The Runnin’ Rebels come into this game off a 101-45 victory over Division III Whittier at the Thomas & Mack Center.

Big one tomorrow pic.twitter.com/wBsiCyjJWP

— UNLV Men's Basketball (@TheRunninRebels) November 27, 2021

Senior guard Bryce Hamilton is leading the team in scoring with 15.8 points per game. Junior forward Donovan Williams is also in double digits (11.0 ppg). Senior forward Royce Hamm Jr is second in the Mountain West Conference in rebounding. His 11.7 boards per game rank him fifth in the nation. Senior guard Jordan McCabe leads the team with 4.2 assists per game. That’s seventh best among Mountain West players.

There’s a whole new look to the Runnin’ Rebels this season. Of their 13 scholarship players, 10 had never played a game in a UNLV uniform prior to the 2021-22 campaign. That includes nine transfer players, eight who come from NCAA Division I schools and four from Big 12 schools.

Bruins vs Runnin’ Rebels Prediction

This will be the seventh meeting between the Bruins and Runnin’ Rebels. UCLA is a perfect 6-0 against UNLV, including a 2-0 slate at the Thomas & Mack Center. The last meeting came two years ago in Los Angeles. The Bruins posted an easy 71-54 victory. Only one game between the two schools has been decided by fewer than a five-point margin.

The Bruins (5-1) return to the court at UNLV (4-2) this Saturday. Game time at the Thomas & Mack Center is set for 2 p.m.

📺💻: @Stadium
📻🎙️: @AM570LASports

🗒️🏀: https://t.co/t8pnDnQKiR pic.twitter.com/b9CJsfeJJb

— UCLA Men’s Basketball (@UCLAMBB) November 25, 2021

Defense could prove a significant factor in the outcome of this game. UCLA is struggling without the ball. The Bruins forced just seven turnovers in the loss to Gonzaga. UCLA is permitting opponents a 45.1% shooting percentage. That ranks 267th in the nation. Meanwhile, UNLV’s defense is holding the opposition to a 36.9% field-goal percentage. That’s 29th in the NCAA.

Still, it’s a bad time to be catching the Bruins. They’ll be in a sour mood after the schooling they were handed by Gonzaga and will take out their frustrations on the Runnin’ Rebels.

Pick: UCLA -10.5 (-112)