UCLA Bruins vs Michigan State Spartans Prediction, 2/17/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: UCLA Bruins vs Michigan State Spartans

Date: Tuesday, February 17, 2026

Location: Breslin Center in East Lansing, MI

TV: ESPN+

Breslin Center is the site where the Michigan State Spartans (20-5) will compete against the UCLA Bruins (17-8) on Tuesday.

The UCLA Bruins played Michigan and walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 86-56 in their last game. When discussing personal fouls, the Bruins walked away with 21 while Michigan recorded 11 personal fouls. They also converted 7 of 19 shots from downtown. Michigan ended up going 65.4% at the free throw line by making 17 of their 26 attempts. Moreover, Michigan pulled down 28 boards (6 offensive, 22 defensive), but finished the game with no rejections. Michigan distributed 18 assists and had 5 steals in the matchup. Concerning defense, UCLA let their opponent shoot 62.0% from the field on 31 out of 50 shooting. They also distributed 7 dimes for this game in addition to forcing 8 turnovers and earning 5 steals. In terms of getting rebounds, they earned a total of 21 with 9 of them being offensive. At the free throw line, the Bruins made 6 of their 12 shots for a percentage of 50.0%. UCLA wrapped up the game having earned a 37.9% FG percentage (22 of 58) and buried 6 of 21 shots from beyond the arc.

Trent Perry is one guy who played a role for this contest. He finished with 14 points on 5 out of 9 shooting. He played 33 mins and also grabbed 4 rebounds. He walked away from this one shooting 55.6% from the floor and totaled 1 assist.

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UCLA will play this contest with a record of 17-8 on the campaign. They turn the ball over 9.5 times per game and as a team they are committing 17.3 fouls on a nightly basis. As a unit, UCLA is snagging 32.7 rebounds per contest and has earned 386 dimes this year, which has them ranked 125th in the country in terms of passing the ball. The Bruins are connecting on 38.1% on three-point attempts (190 of 499) and 76.3% from the charity stripe. They have an average of 77.9 pts per contest (135th in D-1) while connecting on 46.8% from the field.

On the defensive end of the court, the Bruins have forced 12.6 turnovers per contest while drawing 18.8 fouls. They give up 30.0% on shots from beyond the perimeter and they rank 92nd in college hoops in PPG allowed (70.5). The Bruins are giving up an opponent shooting percentage of 43.2% (599 of 1,388) and they surrender 32.5 rebounds per game as a team. They are 209th in Division 1 in allowing assists to the opposition with 353 surrendered this year.

In their last game, the Michigan State Spartans went home defeated by a final of 92-71 when they faced Wisconsin. In the matter of team rebounding, Michigan State permitted Wisconsin to pull down 34 in all (11 on the offensive side). They shot 42.9% from three-point range by shooting 15 of 35 and ended up going 17 out of 23 at the charity stripe (73.9%). The Spartans allowed Wisconsin to make 30 out of 62 attempts from the floor which gave them a percentage of 48.4% in the game. Overall, the Spartans walked away from this one shooting 24 out of 66 from the floor which had them shooting 36.4%. In terms of three-point attempts, Michigan State knocked down 8 out of 27 attempts (29.6%). They were able to convert 15 of them for a percentage of 93.8%. Wisconsin committed 15 personal fouls in the game which got the Spartans to the free throw line for a total of 16 attempts. They also gave up possession of the ball 9 times, while getting 4 steals for this game. The Spartans corralled 23 defensive rebounds and 12 offensive boards totaling 35 for this contest.

Coen Carr was important for the Spartans for the game. He recorded 19 points in his 31 minutes on the court, but finished this game without an assist. He knocked down 6 out of 10 in the game for a field goal rate of 60.0%, and totaled 3 rebounds.

Michigan State has a win-loss record of 20-5 on the year. The Spartans are responsible for committing 16.2 personal fouls per game while shooting 75.5% from the charity stripe. Their rate of dishing out assists is at 18.5 times per game (10th in the country) and they lose possession by turning the ball over 11.8 times per game. Michigan State has earned 1,970 pts on the year (78.8 per contest) and they grab 41.2 boards per contest. On the offensive side of the court, the Spartans are connecting on 46.6% from the field, which is 109th in college hoops.

The Michigan State defense surrenders 31.4% on 3-pointers (208 of 662) and their opposition makes 74.5% of their free throw shots. They allow 12.9 assists and 28.6 boards per contest, which is ranked 137th and 1st in the nation. The Spartans on the defensive side of the court are 25th in college hoops in points per game surrendered with 66.7. They have forced 10.4 turnovers per game and allow teams to shoot 39.7% from the field (18th in D-1).

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take UCLA

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