Purdue Boilermakers vs UCLA Bruins Prediction, 1/20/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Purdue Boilermakers vs UCLA Bruins

Date: Tuesday, January 20, 2026

Location: Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles, CA

TV: ESPN+

The UCLA Bruins (12-6) will try to beat the Purdue Boilermakers (17-1) at Pauley Pavilion on Tuesday.

The Purdue Boilermakers stepped onto the hardwood against USC and took home the win by a score of 69-64 in their last contest. Purdue finished with a 41.8% field goal percentage (23 of 55) and buried 7 of 21 shots from beyond the arc. At the charity stripe, the Boilermakers made 16 of 22 shots for a rate of 72.7%. When discussing grabbing boards, they earned 30 with 5 of them being on the offensive end. They also doled out 17 assists in this game in addition to forcing 13 turnovers and earning 7 steals. In reference to defense, Purdue allowed their opponent to shoot 45.9% from the field on 28 of 61 shooting. USC recorded 16 dimes and had 6 steals in this game. Furthermore, USC collected 38 rebounds (10 offensive, 28 defensive), but didn't have a block. USC finished 35.7% from the free throw line by making 5 of their 14 shots. They converted 3 out of their 20 shots from beyond the perimeter. Concerning personal fouls, the Boilermakers left the arena with 15 and USC recorded 22 personal fouls.

Braden Smith is someone who was important for the contest. He finished shooting 50.0% from the field and earned 5 assists. He was on the court for 38 mins and totaled 4 rebounds. He ended up walking away with 22 points on 7 of 14 shooting.

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Purdue enters this matchup with a win-loss record of 17-1 on the year. They average 85.1 points per game (45th in the nation) while shooting 51.3% from the field. The Boilermakers are hitting 39.2% on shots beyond the perimeter (166 of 424) and 74.5% from the charity stripe. As a team, Purdue is pulling down 37.7 boards per contest and has 373 dimes this year, which is 5th in D-1 in terms of passing the rock. They turn the ball over 9.7 times per contest and as a group they are committing 14.3 fouls per contest.

When they are on defense, the Boilermakers have forced 11.1 turnovers on a nightly basis while drawing 17.3 fouls. They are 202nd in the country in giving up assists with 248 surrendered for the campaign. The Boilermakers are giving up an opponent shooting percentage of 41.9% (455 of 1,085) and they concede 29.2 boards per game as a team. They are surrendering 30.6% on 3-pointers while they are 54th in college hoops in opponents points per game (68.1).

In their last game, the UCLA Bruins took a loss by a final score of 86-74 against Ohio State. The Bruins collected 13 defensive rebounds and 13 offensive rebounds for a total of 26 for this game. They gave up possession of the ball 4 times, while getting 6 steals in the matchup. Ohio State was called for 18 personal fouls in the matchup which got the Bruins to the charity stripe for 19 attempts. They were able to convert 15 of the free throws for a rate of 78.9%. Regarding shooting from beyond the arc, UCLA buried 9 of 23 tries (39.1%). At the conclusion of this game, the Bruins went 25 out of 62 from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 40.3%. The Bruins allowed Ohio State to bury 28 out of 53 attempts from the floor which gave them a percentage of 52.8% for the game. They went 37.5% from 3-point land by hitting 9 out of 24 and finished the game at 21 of 25 from the free throw line (84.0%). When discussing how they rebounded, UCLA permitted Ohio State to snag 32 in total (10 on the offensive glass).

Tyler Bilodeau ended up being important for the Bruins for the game. He scored 30 points in his 38 minutes on the court, but wasn't able to tally an assist. He buried 9 out of 19 for the game for a field goal rate of 47.4%, and had 8 rebounds.

UCLA has a record of 12-6 this season. When it comes to executing on offense, the Bruins are connecting on 47.4% from the field, which is 79th in the country. UCLA has earned 1,407 pts on the season (78.2 per game) and they collect 32.2 rebounds per contest. They are assisting teammates 15.7 times per contest (100th in college) and they are turning it over 10.1 times per game. The Bruins commit 17.6 fouls per contest while shooting 76.0% from the charity stripe.

The Bruins on the defensive side of the court are 77th in Division 1 in points per game surrendered with 69.5. They are forcing 13.7 turnovers per game and allow teams to shoot 42.5% from the field (124th in the country). The UCLA defense allows 29.8% on shots from beyond the arc (131 of 439) and opponents are knocking down 75.9% of their shots from the charity stripe. They have allowed 13.7 assists and 32.5 rebounds on a nightly basis, ranking them 210th and 74th in those categories on the defensive end.

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Purdue

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