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The UCLA Bruins take on the Arizona Wildcats in Las Vegas, NV. Tip-off is set for 10 p.m. ET on TNT.
Arizona is favored by -4.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -205. The total is set at 149.5 points.
Here’s my UCLA vs. Arizona prediction and college basketball picks for November 2, 2026.
UCLA vs Arizona Prediction
Pick: Arizona -4.5 | Caleb Holt 15+ Points
My UCLA vs Arizona best bets are on the Wildcats to cover the spread and Holt to score over 14-5 points. Be sure to find the best lines by using our live NCAAB odds page and download the Action Network app for the latest picks and analysis.
UCLA vs. Arizona Odds
| UCLA Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+4.5 -105 | 149.5 -108o / -112u | +170 |
| Arizona Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-4.5 -115 | 149.5 -108o / -112u | -205 |
- UCLA vs Arizona spread: Arizona -4.5 (-115), UCLA +4.5 (-105)
- UCLA vs Arizona over/under: 149.5 (-108o / -112u)
- UCLA vs Arizona moneyline: UCLA +170, Arizona -205
UCLA vs Arizona College Basketball Preview
UCLA Basketball
While Arizona retained several key role players from last season’s team, Mick Cronin’s 22nd-ranked Bruins had far more roster turnover, both via recruiting and the transfer portal.
Despite a relatively successful 2025-26 campaign that saw UCLA advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, star point guard Donovan Dent elected to transfer to LSU, which in and of itself drastically changed the overall makeup of this Bruins roster.
Cronin also lost the team’s leading scorer in forward Tyler Bilodeau, who was selected in the second round of the NBA draft.
Fortunately for UCLA, Cronin was able to retain the rest of its frontcourt in forwards Eric Dailey Jr. and Xavier Brooks — both of whom should add some much-needed experience to this Bruins squad.
The majority of UCLA’s offseason moves came via the transfer portal, where the Bruins’ eighth-year head coach was extremely busy replacing the likes of Dent, Bilodeau and Skyy Clark.
UCLA secured a highly touted freshman forward out of Serbia in Nikola Kusturica, whose tremendous length allows him to thrive at both ends of the floor.
The Serbian is expected to debut in Cronin’s starting lineup and rounds out an impressive Bruins frontcourt that will be put to the test immediately given Arizona’s tremendous size in the paint.
Cronin also landed top-50 incoming freshman forward Joe Philon, who hails from hoops powerhouse Montverde Academy, in addition to acquiring fellow European forward Sergej Macura from Mississippi State via the transfer portal.
UCLA’s landing of Macura was just one of several key moves made via the transfer portal, with the Bruins also adding former Texas Tech guard Jaylen Petty, who should step right into Dent’s role in running Cronin’s offense this season.
Petty is an elite perimeter shooter who boasts an impressive defensive presence largely due to his tremendous athleticism.
The former Red Raider is expected to start alongside UCLA junior guard Trent Perry, who scored over 12 points per game for the Bruins last season.
The Bruins' roster construction is bolstered with a ton of new moving parts, which should add even further intrigue to Monday night’s showdown.
Arizona Basketball
Arizona enters its 2026-27 campaign ranked inside the top five in the country. This is following the Wildcats’ first trip to the Final Four since 2002.
Despite losing a great deal of last year’s offensive production to the NBA — namely Brayden Burries and Koa Peat — Tommy Lloyd did a phenomenal job replacing that talent with a couple of five-star recruits.
The Wildcats landed the third-ranked recruit in the 2026 freshman class in 6-foot-5 guard Caleb Holt, whose physicality and tremendous athleticism has him set to make an immediate impact for Arizona at both ends of the floor.
Holt is an unbelievably gifted player whose prowess as a lockdown two-way guard should turn him into one of the premier players in all of college basketball almost immediately.
Lloyd added another elite freshman in two-guard Cameron Holmes.
In the offseason, it's clear that one of Lloyd’s primary objectives was to add depth at the guard position to replace Burries and Bradley, and that he did by acquiring former Tar HeelDerek Dixon, who saw 22 minutes per game as a freshman.
Arizona also fortunately returned most of its elite defensive frontcourt from last year’s Final Four team, featuring 7-foot-2 center Motiejus Krivas and 6-foot-7 forward Ivan Kharchenkov.
Lloyd also prioritized replacing Peat’s offensive production inside the paint by acquiring fifth-year senior RJ Godfrey in the portal. Godfrey is expected to provide some much-needed athleticism down low for Arizona, but he's currently ineligible, which means he's unlikely to play on Monday.
There have also been many reports that LeBron’s son, 6-foot-5 guard Bryce James, has looked great in the offseason and may get some run for the Cats off the bench this season.
Lloyd is starting to build an impressive legacy in Tucson, and there's zero doubt that Arizona is once again a legitimate NCAA title contender in 2027.
UCLA vs. Arizona Pick, Betting Analysis
This is arguably the best matchup on Monday.
While the Wildcats enter their season opener as a short 4.5-point favorite, I think this line is a tad short for an Arizona squad that returned several players from last season’s Final Four lineup.
Despite losing both Burries and Peat, Lloyd’s landing of two-way wing Holt drastically changes the ceiling of this team, as I expect the incoming freshman to be one of the best players in all of college basketball.
Though Cronin was able to retain the Bruins’ frontcourt, UCLA will be at a massive disadvantage in the paint as it tries to deal with the likes of Krivas and Kharchenkov.
There's no doubt that UCLA made some key additions to its backcourt, locking down several sharpshooters — namely Petty and Perry — but the two Bruins guards will have an extremely tough challenge finding open shots when matched up with a physical, lockdown defender like Holt.
While I do expect the Bruins to have a great season in Cronin’s eighth year at the helm, Arizona boasts the experience, coaching and stardom to ultimately get the job done on Monday.
I jumped on Arizona -4.5 as soon as the line came out, and I also have interest in backing Holt to score at least 15 points at a great +110 price tag.
Picks: Arizona -4.5 | Caleb Holt 15+ Points
