Northwestern Wildcats vs UCLA Bruins Prediction, 1/24/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Northwestern Wildcats vs UCLA Bruins

Date: Saturday, January 24, 2026

Location: Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles, CA

TV: ESPN+

The UCLA Bruins (13-6) will compete against the Northwestern Wildcats (9-10) at Pauley Pavilion on Saturday.

The Northwestern Wildcats faced off with USC and walked away with a win by a score of 74-68 in their last contest. With respect to fouls, the Wildcats ended up finishing with 25 while USC had 19 fouls. They also converted 2 out of their 13 attempts from distance. USC finished the game at 60.5% at the free throw line by knocking down 26 of 43 tries. In addition, USC collected 38 rebounds (11 offensive, 27 defensive), but couldn't earn a rejection. USC distributed 13 dimes and had 3 steals for the game. In relation to the defense, Northwestern allowed the other team to shoot 38.5% from the field on 20 out of 52 shooting. They also recorded 22 assists in this matchup as well as forcing the opposition into 6 turnovers and earning 3 steals. Regarding grabbing rebounds, they earned 29 with 7 of them being of the offensive variety. At the charity stripe, the Wildcats converted 15 of 18 attempts for a rate of 83.3%. Northwestern walked away from the contest having earned a 45.2% FG percentage (28 of 62) and converted 3 out of their 15 three-point attempts.

Nick Martinelli is one guy who was a major contributor in this matchup. He ended up with 22 points on 8 of 20 shooting. He played for 35 minutes played and totaled 5 rebounds. He ended up going 40.0% from the floor and recorded 5 dimes.

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Northwestern enters this game with a mark of 9-10 on the campaign. They average 77.2 pts per contest (173rd in the country) while connecting on 46.9% from the field. The Wildcats are shooting 31.0% on shots from 3-point land (116 of 374) and 74.1% from the free throw line. As a team, Northwestern is pulling down 33.2 boards per game and has accounted for 343 assists so far this season, which is 34th in Division 1 in terms of passing the rock. They are losing possession via turnover 8.4 times per game and as a team are committing 18.3 fouls every game.

When they are on the defensive end, the Wildcats are able to force 11.0 turnovers per contest and they draw 18.1 personal fouls. They are relinquishing 30.0% from beyond the arc and they are 127th in D-1 in points per game allowed (71.7). The Wildcats defense is allowing a shooting percentage of 42.3% (467 of 1,105) and they surrender 35.2 rebounds per game as a team. They are ranked 275th in Division 1 in giving up assists to their opponents with 286 relinquished for the year.

The last time they took the court, the UCLA Bruins got the victory with a final of 69-67 when they played Purdue. The Bruins recorded 19 defensive rebounds and 4 offensive boards for a total of 23 for this game. They gave up possession of the ball 10 times, while getting 3 steals in this game. Purdue had 8 personal fouls in this game which got the Bruins to the free throw line for 3 attempts. They were able to make 2 of the free throws for a clip of 66.7%. Concerning 3-point shots, UCLA knocked down 9 of their 20 tries (45.0%). At the conclusion of this game, the Bruins ended up shooting 29 for 51 from the field which gave them a rate of 56.9%. The Bruins permitted Purdue to bury 27 out of their 60 tries from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 45.0% for the game. They wrapped up this game 25.9% from 3-point land by hitting 7 of 27 and ended up shooting 6 of 7 from the charity stripe (85.7%). In relation to cleaning the glass, UCLA allowed Purdue to snag 24 in all (9 offensive).

Donovan Dent ended up being a factor for the Bruins in the matchup. He had 23 points in his 39 minutes of playing time and added 13 assists for this contest. He converted 10 of 18 for this game giving him a field goal percentage of 55.6%, but couldn't coral a rebound.

UCLA has a record of 13-6 on the campaign. On the offensive side of the court, the Bruins are hitting on 47.9% from the floor, which is ranked 55th in D-1. UCLA has accounted for 1,476 pts on the year (77.7 per game) and they pull in 31.8 boards per game. They are dishing out assists 15.9 times per contest (91st in the nation) and they are giving up possession 10.1 times per game. The Bruins are responsible for committing 17.2 personal fouls per contest and they connect on 76.0% from the charity stripe.

The Bruins on the defensive side of the court are 73rd in D-1 in PPG given up with 69.4. They are forcing 13.4 turnovers per game and allow teams to shoot 42.6% from the field (124th in D-1). The UCLA defense allows 29.6% on three-point shots (138 of 466) and opponents are converting on 76.1% of their shots from the free throw line. They have allowed 13.8 assists and 32.4 boards per game, which has them ranked 218th and 64th in those categories.

Who will win tonight's NCAA game against the spread?

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Northwestern

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