UCLA vs Stanford Odds & Pick: Why to Bet Wednesday’s Short Favorite

It's time to take a look at the UCLA Bruins vs Stanford Cardinal odds and make a pick in our our Pac-12 college basketball betting preview for Wednesday.

The Pac-12 has plenty of disappointing teams. UCLA and Stanford are just two of the most notable underwhelming teams.

While both have shared some struggles, it seems like UCLA's trajectory is moving in the positive direction, giving this game some real watch value.

Let's dive in to see where the betting value lies in this Pac-12 matchup.

For all the blunders and anger from Mick Cronin towards media members, UCLA is sneakily 6-5 in conference play.

Cronin knows what his team is made of, and that's defense. That's been the case so far, as the Bruins rank 31st in Adjusted Defensive Efficiency. Cronin wants a snail-paced game, as the Bruins rank 344th in Adjusted Tempo.

If you expect a big scoring output from UCLA, that won't happen. However, UCLA has scored 1.00+ points per possession in each of its past six games, five of which were wins. UCLA won't shoot the ball well from 3 (28%), but tallying at least a point per possession is more than good enough with how dominant the defense is.

While other coaches utilized the transfer portal this summer, Cronin ignored it. Utah transfer Lazar Stefanovic is the only player the Bruins brought in via the portal, and he's played an integral role in the team's turnaround.

Since a 90-44 embarrassment against Utah, Stefanovic has scored 15+ points in six straight games, becoming the clear top option for Cronin.

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The most confusing team in the conference resides in Palo Alto, California. Stanford holds wins over Utah, Arizona and Washington, but it lost against Arizona State and California.

It's just total inconsistency from Stanford, which has been a problem during Jerod Haase's tenure. That's why Haase is likely on his last legs as head coach.

The Cardinal nearly did something special last week, though. They almost pulled off the stunner of all Pac-12 stunners in Sunday's evening showdown against Arizona in Tucson.

The Cardinal got off to a lightning-fast start, leading Arizona, 46-35, at the break. However, when the second half began and all of Stanford's energy got zapped, it lost control and lost the second half, 48-26. The Cardinal will have to flush that loss quickly in order to deal with UCLA.

Among Pac-12 teams, nobody epitomizes living and dying by the 3 more than Stanford, which attempts triples on 41% of its field goals while connecting on 39% of those shots. Stanford is more than capable of beating anybody in the conference if its shots fall, but it's a long night of loud clanks and ugly offense on the off nights.

Those off nights are few and far between, as all five regular Stanford starters shoot 38% or above from downtown, including star freshman Kanaan Carlyle. We'll keep an eye on Carlyle's status entering the game after he missed Sunday's matchup against Arizona.

Carlyle has turned into arguably the most important piece on Stanford's roster, averaging over 14 points.

Between Carlyle and seven-footer Maxime Raynaud, Stanford boasts one of the best inside-out duos in the Pac-12. They both have the ability to put up much larger scoring numbers than their season averages.

While UCLA is lava hot of late, this feels like a difficult matchup on the road.

Opponents of the Bruins attempt 3s on 43% of their possessions and hit on 34% of those attempts. While those numbers aren't elite, if enough Stanford shots fall, UCLA's offense isn't good enough to claw back into the game.

I like Stanford even more if Carlyle suits up — since nobody else matches his dynamic shot creation.

Pick: Stanford -2.5

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