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Led by coach Larry Brown, the No. 6 SMU Mustangs roar back into the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1993, after going 9-1 SU in their last 10 games to claim the AAC Conference championship, their first conference title since 1988.
However, the Mustangs struggled at times down the stretch, going 2-3 ATS in their last five, but bettors have pushed the line from -2 to -3.5 in earlybetting at Sportsbook.
The No. 11 UCLA Bruins will be looking to bounce back from their 70-64 loss to Arizona in the Pac-12 Tournament semi-final, although they managed to cover as 11-point underdogs. The Bruins salvaged a shaky season with eight SU wins in their last 11 regular season games after a 3-4 start, finishing with an 11-7 SU record in conference play.
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The Bruins have also proven to be a strong bet down the stretch, going 10-3 ATS in their last 13. UCLA will be looking to build on their solid performance last year at March Madness, when they posted SU and ATS wins over Tulsa and Stephen F. Austin before falling to Florida in the Sweet Sixteen.
UCLA Bruins vs Southern Methodist Mustangs Odds and Stats.
Team Betting Records & Power Rankings
The UCLA Bruins will try to spoil to the party and cover the point spread on Thursday; they are 17-16 ATS against the betting line this season, while the Southern Methodist Mustangs are 15-14-1 ATS. UCLA Bruins are 12-20 on betting the total; Southern Methodist Mustangs are 14-12-2.
The Southern Methodist Mustangs sit at No. 82 in the current college hoops power poll here at Odds Shark, while the UCLA Bruins sit at No. 67 on the same chart.
How UCLA Bruins vs Southern Methodist Mustangs Stats Matchup
In the paint, the rebound battle will feature Southern Methodist's No. 46-rated squad against UCLA's No. 16-rated roster. And in long-range shooting, Southern Methodist rates No. 249 in the country with 4.18 per game, while their foes tonight, the UCLA Bruins rank No. 147 nationally with 6.21 per match.
Recent Outings Betting Recap
UCLA suffered a 70-64 loss against Arizona on Friday, getting 21 points from Norman Powell in a losing effort at MGM Grand.
Rodney Purvis went off for 29 points and added 3 rebounds, leading Southern Methodist over Connecticut, 62-54, on Sunday at XL Center.
SMU vs UCLA Trends:
SMU OVER is 7-2 past nine games when favored
SMU finished year on 17-2 SU run
UCLA 10-3 ATS final 13 games of season
UCLA covered five in a row as an underdog
UCLA was underdog 13 times this season, played UNDER 12 times in those games
