Washington State Upsets UCLA

In a topsy-turvy college basketball season, just about any team can lose on any given day, particularly on the road. That was certainly true on Wednesday night as the 12-18 Washington State Cougars defeated No. 23-ranked UCLA 73-61. The Cougars had a 19-game losing streak to the Bruins at home that dated all the way back to 1993. Here were a few of the other betting trends for both teams heading into the tilt, courtesy of OddsShark.com:

UCLA Bruins Trends:
When playing on Wednesday are 4-6
Before playing Washington are 7-3
After playing Arizona are 5-5
After a win are 7-3

Washington State Cougars Trends:
When playing on Wednesday are 5-5
Before playing USC are 2-8
After playing Washington are 4-6
After a loss are 1-9

A few Bruins at Cougars trends to consider:
UCLA is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Washington State
UCLA is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of UCLA’s last 8 games when playing on the road against Washington State
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Washington State’s last 8 games when playing at home against UCLA
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Washington State’s last 8 games when playing UCLA
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Washington State’s last 8 games
Washington State is 2-6-1 ATS in its last 9 games

The Cougars were understandably four-point underdogs in the game, given their extremely poor track record against the Bruins in their own building. However, they showed up to play, outrebounding the Bruins 46-23. Washington State outworked UCLA in virtually every facet of the game; the Cougars had 21 offensive rebounds while the Bruins only had 23 rebounds total.

UCLA also had a horrendous shooting night, shooting just 38 percent from the field. The Cougars were much more efficient, making 49 percent of their field goals. The Cougars jumped on UCLA early, and never let up from there; they built a 15-2 lead to begin the game, the Bruins missed nine of their first ten shots, and it was off to the races.

“We didn’t come out with the emotion and intensity that we needed,” UCLA coach Ben Howland said. “We didn’t have the sense of urgency when so much was riding on the line for us.”

Still, despite the tough loss, the Bruins have their sights set on a Pac-12 title, and greater success in the upcoming NCAA tournament. They were essentially left for dead at the beginning of the season when they started poorly, bottoming out with a loss to Cal-Poly. However, the Bruins righted the ship, and their young team is playing better at the most critical time.

“It says a lot about us, and it also says it’s not about the way you start, it’s about the way you finish,” UCLA senior point guard Larry Drew II said. “I’m proud of my guys, the way that we stuck through it all season up until this point and just kept battling and fighting as hard as we could. We all know it’s about the name on the front of the jerseys and not the back.”

This Saturday, UCLA gets one final chance to boost its tournament resume at Washington. If they want to improve their standing in the eyes of the college basketball elite, they can’t afford another rude road upset like the one they suffered at the hands of the Cougars on Wednesday night.