Alabama State vs UCLA Odds, Lines, and Spread (Dec. 15)

• The UCLA Bruins vie for a fourth straight victory as they host the slumping Alabama State Hornets as heavy home favorites
• Bruins are undefeated in five home dates this season, while the Hornets search for their first road victory since mid-January
• Read on for all the odds and trends ahead of Wednesday night’s matchup at Pauley Pavilion

The UCLA Bruins aim to remain undefeated on home court this season when they host the Alabama State Hornets on Wednesday as lofty 35-point favorites. Tip off is set for 11:00pm ET on Wednesday night at Pauley Pavilion.

Alabama State Hornets vs UCLA Bruins Odds

Odds at Draftkings as of December 15, 2021.

Hornets vs Bruins Betting Trends

Wednesday night’s matchup marks the first ever meeting between these two clubs. While the Bruins have steadily padded the win column during an 8-1 straight up start, they have struggled to reward loyal sports bettors, compiling a middling 5-4 record against the spread, and failing to cover in consecutive games over their past seven outings. That includes a 3-3 ATS record while pegged as double-digit chalk. UCLA has also been a shaky bet when favored by 30 or more points, going 2-5 ATS in their past seven. Low scoring has also been commonplace in recent contests featuring the Bruins, with the total topping 140 just once during a current 5-0 run for the UNDER.

Outright losers in four straight, the Hornets have also failed to cover during that stretch, ending a steady 6-0 ATS run to kick off the campaign. The squad is 5-1 ATS in six outings as double-digit underdogs this season, and will be facing a nationally ranked team for the first team in program history in Wednesday’s contest.

Alabama State Hornets Outlook

The Hornets will be looking to rebound after opening their current five-game road trip this past weekend with a 79-62 loss to Pepperdine. With that defeat as 15-point underdogs, the Hornets’ SU record dropped to 2-9 on the season, with one of their two victories coming against the Division II Tuskegee Golden Tigers. Overall, the team has gone 1-14 SU over their past 15 in Division I play, and are winless SU in 13 straight road contests since mid-January.

We've gone final here in Malibu … next stop, at UCLA on Wednesday#SWARMAS1 x #Team88 pic.twitter.com/MM9Y6ExhqD

— Alabama State MBB (@BamaStateMBB) December 12, 2021

Currently pegged at a distant No. 339 in the Kenpom ratings, and at No. 351 in adjusted offensive efficiency, points have been hard to come by for Alabama State. The squad has averaged just 62.3 points per game during their current slide, and have fallen to defeat by an average margin of 28 points per game in two road losses so far this month. However, they sport a 2-1 SU record when scoring at least 74 points.

Kenny Strawbridge Jr. (@KennyStrawJr ) gets the offensive board and puts it up and gets the insanely lucky bounce (s) at the BUZZER and wins the game for the Alabama State Hornets over Southern U in an incredible game. pic.twitter.com/FpLQ2ixZqD

— NCAA Buzzer Beaters & Game Winners (@NCAABuzzerBters) January 26, 2021

One bright spot for the Hornets has been the recent play of Kenny Strawbridge. The sophomore guard led the way in this past weekend’s loss to Pepperdine, matching his season-high with 16 points while also recording 11 rebounds for his first double-double of the season. Gerald Liddell remains the team’s top scorer after draining 14 points on Saturday, and has connected on 42.9% of his three-point attempts so far this season.

UCLA Bruins Outlook

Currently pegged at No. 4 in the AP Top 25, the Bruins return home aiming to extend their current win streak after posting a 67-56 win over Marquette as 6.5-point road chalk this past weekend. Overall, UCLA has won three straight, and was also credited with a Pac-12 conference victory over Washington after the Huskies were forced to forfeit their scheduled clash on December 5 due to a Covid-19 outbreak. However, that victory is not reflected in the team’s overall win total.

"We had a great week of preparation. I'm a big believer in preparation and practice. We had some of our best practices of the year, and a lot of that was because Cody [Riley] had practiced."

Coach Cronin, speaking on Tuesday about UCLA's win at Marquette pic.twitter.com/C4zmXQr0Wg

— UCLA Men’s Basketball (@UCLAMBB) December 14, 2021

Now set to play just their third game so far in December, the Bruins aim to extend their recent dominance on home hardwood at Pauley Pavilion, where they have won outright in 23 of 24 contests since January 2020. Currently sporting a 5-0 SU home record this season, UCLA has claimed victory by an average margin of 22.8 points during that stretch, sparking a 3-2 ATS run.

Jaime Jaquez Jr. is the UCLA Student-Athlete of the Week, presented by Ready. @jaquez_jr scored a season-high 24 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in @UCLAMBB’s win at Marquette.

➡️: https://t.co/Xk9ktivkCl#GoBruins pic.twitter.com/zmwzGImvF2

— UCLA Athletics (@UCLAAthletics) December 14, 2021

Jaime Jaquez Jr. enjoyed another standout performance in Saturday’s win over Marquette, recording a season-high 24 points and 11 rebounds while compiling his second double-double of the season. Jaquez has led the way in two of the Bruins’ past four outings. However, Johnny Juzang continues to lead the team in scoring despite averaging just 12.6 points per game over his past five outings.

The Picks: Hornets +35 (-115); OVER 146.5 (-110)

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