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LINEMAKERS LAS VEGAS
There are 56 college basketball games on the board tonight with three ranked teams in action, and while there are plenty of interesting storylines, perhaps the most compelling is ‘what in world has happened to UCLA?'. The Bruins have lost five straight and failed to cover seven in a row.
It was only six weeks ago, around Thanksgiving, when the Bruins were 4-0 (3-1 ATS) and ranked No. 22 in the nation, and many college basketball observers assumed second-year coach Steve Alford had things in control. But since then, the roof has caved in, and UCLA has gone 4-7.
For bettors here in Las Vegas backing the Bruins, it‘s even worse – they’ve covered only once in their last 10 games.
In the Don Best/Linemakers college basketball power ratings, UCLA has dropped 6 points since opening the season as the 16th-rated team. With their massive slide, they are now tied for No. 49, and that drop is as conservative as it is only because the team’s preseason rating is still part of the equation.
Granted, during its five-game losing streak, UCLA did play three ranked opponents and was an underdog in all five, including getting +15.5 against No. 1-ranked Kentucky in a 83-44 neutral-court loss.
As good as Bryce Alford, the coach’s son, was early in the season (20 points and 9.7 assist per game through the first four), he’s done a complete 180. He’s missed his last 19 shot attempts and is 5-for-39 in his last three games.
Alford’s shooting woes are easy to blame for the Bruins slide, but Yahoo! Sports Jeff Eisenberg points out that UCLA has only three scholarship guards this season because Colorado State transfer Jon Octeus and incoming freshman Jonah Bolden did not meet academic requirements and blames coach Alford for not having a contingency plan.
Of course, having your top four scorers shooting 43 percent or less and the team shooting only 41 percent overall can make any coach look bad.
After four lousy performances away, the bewildered Bruins return home to Westwood to host Stanford tonight. The 10-3 Cardinal are 1-point favorites.
Stanford is riding a four-game win streak (3-0-1 ATS), which includes a 74-71 overtime win at then-No. 9 Texas as an 11-point underdog. Senior guard Chasson Randle is averaging 18.8 ppg just like last season, although his 41 percent shooting from the field is below the high standards (47 percent) he set a year ago.
For a town like Los Angeles where the press and fans are a little more laid back than the rest of America, UCLA’s downward spiral has been the talk of the town – people have seemed to accept what the Lakers have become. The pressure is on and the question tonight is how they’ll respond to it all.
Does coach Alford rally his troops and get an inspired performance? Does the Pauley Pavilion crowd give the home team an edge and Bryce Alford some confidence? Or will playing at home have a reverse effect as the crowd voices its displeasure if things don’t turn around early in the first half?
The Linemakers' lean: The line is right where it should be, with maybe a 1-point premium on UCLA in what could be considered a pick ‘em game, but until we see UCLA’s most prominent player -- Bryce Alford -- start hitting some shots, or someone else take over, it’s hard to side with the Bruins. Our play is Stanford, a squad playing well above expectations. If there’s one school that can be inspired by the opportunity to kick a rival while its down, it’s Stanford against UCLA in any sport. The play is Stanford -1.
There are 56 college basketball games on the board tonight with three ranked teams in action, and while there are plenty of interesting storylines, perhaps the most compelling is ‘what in world has happened to UCLA?'. The Bruins have lost five straight and failed to cover seven in a row.
It was only six weeks ago, around Thanksgiving, when the Bruins were 4-0 (3-1 ATS) and ranked No. 22 in the nation, and many college basketball observers assumed second-year coach Steve Alford had things in control. But since then, the roof has caved in, and UCLA has gone 4-7.
For bettors here in Las Vegas backing the Bruins, it‘s even worse – they’ve covered only once in their last 10 games.
In the Don Best/Linemakers college basketball power ratings, UCLA has dropped 6 points since opening the season as the 16th-rated team. With their massive slide, they are now tied for No. 49, and that drop is as conservative as it is only because the team’s preseason rating is still part of the equation.
Granted, during its five-game losing streak, UCLA did play three ranked opponents and was an underdog in all five, including getting +15.5 against No. 1-ranked Kentucky in a 83-44 neutral-court loss.
As good as Bryce Alford, the coach’s son, was early in the season (20 points and 9.7 assist per game through the first four), he’s done a complete 180. He’s missed his last 19 shot attempts and is 5-for-39 in his last three games.
Alford’s shooting woes are easy to blame for the Bruins slide, but Yahoo! Sports Jeff Eisenberg points out that UCLA has only three scholarship guards this season because Colorado State transfer Jon Octeus and incoming freshman Jonah Bolden did not meet academic requirements and blames coach Alford for not having a contingency plan.
Of course, having your top four scorers shooting 43 percent or less and the team shooting only 41 percent overall can make any coach look bad.
After four lousy performances away, the bewildered Bruins return home to Westwood to host Stanford tonight. The 10-3 Cardinal are 1-point favorites.
Stanford is riding a four-game win streak (3-0-1 ATS), which includes a 74-71 overtime win at then-No. 9 Texas as an 11-point underdog. Senior guard Chasson Randle is averaging 18.8 ppg just like last season, although his 41 percent shooting from the field is below the high standards (47 percent) he set a year ago.
For a town like Los Angeles where the press and fans are a little more laid back than the rest of America, UCLA’s downward spiral has been the talk of the town – people have seemed to accept what the Lakers have become. The pressure is on and the question tonight is how they’ll respond to it all.
Does coach Alford rally his troops and get an inspired performance? Does the Pauley Pavilion crowd give the home team an edge and Bryce Alford some confidence? Or will playing at home have a reverse effect as the crowd voices its displeasure if things don’t turn around early in the first half?
The Linemakers' lean: The line is right where it should be, with maybe a 1-point premium on UCLA in what could be considered a pick ‘em game, but until we see UCLA’s most prominent player -- Bryce Alford -- start hitting some shots, or someone else take over, it’s hard to side with the Bruins. Our play is Stanford, a squad playing well above expectations. If there’s one school that can be inspired by the opportunity to kick a rival while its down, it’s Stanford against UCLA in any sport. The play is Stanford -1.
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