The UCLA Bruins take on the Gonzaga Bulldogs in Seattle, Washington. Tip-off is set for 11:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.
Gonzaga is favored by -9.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -550. The total is set at 148.5 points.
Here’s my UCLA vs. Gonzaga prediction and college basketball picks for December 13, 2025.
UCLA vs Gonzaga Prediction
My Pick: Under 148.5 (Play to 145)
My UCLA vs Gonzaga best bet is on the under. For all of your college basketball bets, be sure to find the best lines by using our live NCAAB odds page.
UCLA vs. Gonzaga Odds
| UCLA Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+9.5 -110 | 148.5 -110o / -110u | +400 |
| Gonzaga Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-9.5 -110 | 148.5 -110o / -110u | -550 |
- UCLA vs Gonzaga spread: Gonzaga -9.5
- UCLA vs Gonzaga over/under: 148.5 points
- UCLA vs Gonzaga moneyline: UCLA +400, Gonzaga -550
UCLA vs Gonzaga College Basketball Betting Preview
UCLA Basketball
If it feels like UCLA already played Gonzaga, it sort of did.
The Bruins are 7-2 with one of the losses coming to Arizona, a team with similar characteristics to the Zags.
Mick Cronin plays the same style he always has. The Bruins are one of the slowest-tempo teams in America (331st nationally in adjusted tempo), and they want to be a defensive-first team.
Pressure is the name of the game for UCLA's defense. It forces turnovers at a 20% clip. Arizona even turned the ball over 15 times against the Bruins.
Opponents shoot 49% from inside the arc (75th) and 31% from deep (107th) against UCLA. Neither number is elite, but it's good enough for a defense with such a strong turnover rate.
Let's talk about why I'm not very sold on UCLA.
Donovan Dent was supposed to step in and be an All-American-type player. Instead, Dent seems like the latest point guard portal disaster — posting 12.5 PPG with 6.4 APG on 36% shooting and 7% from deep.
Can he still make excellent plays? Sure. But he's been horrific as a scorer.
The best offense from the Bruins comes from Dent's dribble penetration, or from Tyler Bilodeau (UCLA's leading scorer) scoring inside. Bilodeau is off to a terrific start, averaging 15 PPG — but Gonzaga will try to make his life tough.
In this matchup, UCLA has a chance to compete if it shoots well.
The Bruins play three true forwards, but Eric Dailey, Bilodeau, and Xavier Booker can step out and shoot. Attacking the paint will feed right into Gonzaga's game, so the Bruins should try to work outside.
Gonzaga Basketball
Gonzaga bounced back from the ugly loss to Michigan with a blowout win over Kentucky and North Florida.
That was the perfect recipe to make fans forget about the ugly loss.
The Bulldogs are elite on both ends of the floor, but their defense is dominant. They rank fourth nationally in defensive efficiency while forcing turnovers at a 21.2% clip. Plus, Gonzaga limits teams to 46% shooting on 2s and 26% on 3s.
Tyon Grant-Foster is one of the best perimeter defenders in America. The 6-foot-7 wing uses his length to frustrate the best guard from the opposing team.
Another huge advantage for the Bulldogs is on the glass. Teams rarely grab offensive rebounds against Gonzaga, while they bully opponents on the glass. The Zags tend to come away with a win in the shot-volume battle.
Gonzaga isn't a great perimeter-shooting team due to its roster makeup. It shoots 35% from deep, but only attempts 3s on 32% of its field goal attempts.
The Bulldogs' formula is all about feeding the bigs, Graham Ike and Braden Huff. Huff's patented push shot and Ike's bully-ball mentality can overwhelm opposing interiors.
The Bulldogs (54th nationally in adjusted tempo) will look to speed things up. However, most of their pace comes from turnovers.
If you're looking to bet on Gonzaga laying the points, I totally get why.
Outside of Michigan, Gonzaga has won each of its games by double-digits, and the spread here is below double-digits.
But I worry that UCLA can make this a lower-scoring game.
UCLA vs. Gonzaga Betting Analysis
I'm going with the Under.
I doubt UCLA will score much against Gonzaga's defense.
The Bulldogs will throw TGF on Dent (or Mario Saint-Supery) and blitz him on ball-screens. He won't have the ball enough to use his magical passing to make plays.
That'll put a wrench in the Bruins' offensive plans and probably lead to even longer possessions, which is a dream for the Under.
I referenced the Arizona game earlier, so I can come back to it here.
The final score in that game was 69-65. Stylistically, Arizona is much like Gonzaga, and UCLA successfully slowed the Wildcats down.
My Pick: Under 148.5 (Play to 145)
