The Ohio State Buckeyes take on the UCLA Bruins in Los Angeles, CA. Tip-off is set for 3:45 p.m. ET on CBS.
UCLA is favored by 6.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -278. The total is set at 140.5 points.
Here are my Ohio State vs. UCLA predictions and college basketball picks for February 23, 2025.
Ohio State Buckeyes vs UCLA Bruins Prediction, Picks
My Pick: UCLA -6.5 (Play to -7)
My Ohio State vs UCLA best bet is on the Bruins spread, with the best odds currently available at DraftKings. For all of your college basketball bets, find the best lines using our live NCAAB odds page.
Ohio State vs UCLA Odds, Lines, Spread
| Ohio State Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+6.5 -105 | 138.5 -110o / -110u | +215 |
| UCLA Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-6.5 -115 | 138.5 -110o / -110u | -267 |
- Ohio State vs UCLA spread: UCLA -6.5, Ohio State +6.5
- Ohio State vs UCLA over/under: 138.5
- Ohio State vs UCLA moneyline: UCLA ML -267, Ohio State ML +215
- Ohio State vs UCLA best bet: UCLA -6.5 (Play to -7)
Spread
I'm backing the Bruins to cover the spread.
Moneyline
I'm passing on the moneyline.
Over/Under
I'm passing on the total.
Pick: UCLA -6.5 (Play to -7)
Ohio State vs UCLA Pick, Best Bets
Yes, UCLA has lost two of its past three games, most recently dropping a home game to Minnesota.
That said, the Bruins’ offense has been quite good over the past month, partially because they haven’t left the West Coast, where they’re a wagon. They’re 17-3 in the Pacific time zone and 13-2 at home, including 10-6 ATS at Pauley Pavilion.
Meanwhile, Ohio State is 3-5 on the road this year, ranking 321st in Haslametrics' away-from-home metric. The Buckeyes haven’t made a West Coast trip yet, so this spot is concerning.
I also don’t love the matchup for the Buckeyes.
They’re a dangerous dribble offense, as Bruce Thornton is a maestro ball-screen and isolation creator. But they’ve run into a turnover problem in conference play, ranking 15th in the Big Ten in turnover rate (17%, per KenPom).
You can’t be sloppy with the ball against UCLA, as Mick Cronin runs an aggressive, hard-hedging ball-screen coverage that attacks primary creators and ranks second nationally in defensive turnover rate (24%).
The ball will be forced out of Thornton’s hands, and the Buckeyes will be forced to try and unpack the Bruins via secondary creation, which they’re uncomfortable doing.
On the other end of the court, the Bruins are post-up, high-paint and mid-range merchants behind Tyler Bilodeau and Eric Dailey Jr., and that'll work fine against Ohio State’s drop-coverage defense that funnels middle-of-the-floor creation while struggling against opposing post-up sets (.96 PPP allowed, 15th percentile, per Synergy).
Also, the Buckeyes will have an even tougher time stopping UCLA's interior actions if Aaron Bradshaw is unavailable again, as they're tiny with 6-foot-9 Sean Stewart at the five.
From a more general perspective, I’ve been low on the Buckeyes all year. Unsustainable 3-point shooting splits have largely fueled their successful games, and the regression train has pulled firmly into Columbus Station, as they’ve lost four of six, most recently by 21 at home to Northwestern.
I suspect Ohio State will lose this one convincingly, especially in a brutal travel spot with a terrible schematic matchup.
