UCLA Bruins vs Minnesota Golden Gophers Prediction, 2/28/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: UCLA Bruins vs Minnesota Golden Gophers

Date: Saturday, February 28, 2026

Location: Williams Arena in Minneapolis, MN

TV: ESPN+

The UCLA Bruins (19-9) are hitting the road to Williams Arena on Saturday where they will try to defeat the Minnesota Golden Gophers (13-15).

The UCLA Bruins faced off with USC and went home with a win by a final score of 81-62 in their last contest. Regarding personal fouls, the Bruins finished with 16 and USC finished the game with 16 personal fouls. They knocked down 8 of 26 attempts from 3-point land. USC finished the game at 75.0% at the charity stripe by converting 12 of 16 tries. On top of that, USC totaled 37 boards (14 offensive, 23 defensive), but didn't notch a block. USC totaled 11 dimes and had 2 steals for this game. With respect to defense, UCLA allowed 35.0% from the field on 21 of 60 shooting. They also distributed 18 assists in this game in addition to forcing the other team into 14 turnovers and having 8 steals. When discussing grabbing rebounds, they earned 28 with 7 of them being of the offensive variety. When they shot from the free throw line, the Bruins buried 12 of their 14 shots for a rate of 85.7%. UCLA wrapped up the contest having earned a 49.2% FG percentage (31 out of 63) and converted 7 out of their 20 3-pointers.

Donovan Dent is someone who played a role in the game. He totaled 30 points on 10 out of 16 shooting. He was on the hardwood for 37 minutes played and snagged 2 rebounds. He finished shooting 62.5% from the floor and also earned 7 assists.

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UCLA heads into this contest with a record of 19-9 this season. They are averaging 78.0 points per outing (137th in the country) on 46.7% from the field. The Bruins are shooting 37.8% on shots beyond the perimeter (216 of 572) and 76.8% from the charity stripe. As a unit, UCLA is grabbing 32.3 boards per contest and is sitting with 436 assists for the season, which has them ranked 109th in Division 1 in terms of passing the rock. They are giving up possession 9.2 times per contest and as a team they commit 17.4 personal fouls per game.

On defense, the Bruins have forced 12.6 turnovers every game while drawing 18.6 personal fouls. They give up 30.9% on shots from downtown and they rank 108th in college in PPG allowed (71.4). The Bruins defense is allowing a field goal percentage of 43.1% (677 of 1,572) and they concede 33.4 boards per game as a unit. They are ranked 244th in Division 1 in giving up assists to the opposition with 404 conceded so far this season.

The last time they took the court, the Minnesota Golden Gophers took a loss by a final score of 77-67 against Michigan. When discussing attacking the glass, Minnesota permitted Michigan to pull down 37 overall (9 on the offensive side). They shot 42.4% from three-point range by shooting 14 of 33 and ended up going 5 out of 5 at the free throw line (100.0%). The Golden Gophers permitted Michigan to bury 29 of their 58 tries from the field which had them sitting at 50.0% in the game. In all, the Golden Gophers ended up shooting 25 for 55 from the field which had them sitting at 45.5%. Regarding shots from beyond the perimeter, Minnesota knocked down 12 out of 34 tries (35.3%). They were able to bury 5 of the free throws for a percentage of 83.3%. Michigan was called for 9 personal fouls in this contest which took the Golden Gophers to the free throw line for a total of 6 tries. They also gave up possession of the ball 8 times, while earning 8 steals in the game. The Golden Gophers were able to pull down 15 defensive rebounds and 1 offensive rebounds for a total of 16 in the matchup.

Cade Tyson ended up having an impact for the Golden Gophers in the game. He converted 6 of 13 for the matchup for a field goal percentage of 46.2%, and accumulated 6 rebounds. He recorded 20 points in his 40 minutes of playing time and earned 1 assist for the matchup.

Minnesota has a mark of 13-15 for the year. The Golden Gophers commit 15.1 fouls per game and they go 69.5% from the free throw line. Their rate of earning assists is at 17.4 times per game (25th in college) and they are turning it over 10.7 times per contest. Minnesota has totaled 1,982 points on the season (70.8 per game) and they pull in 32.0 boards per game. When it comes to offensive execution, the Golden Gophers are shooting 45.7% from the field, which ranks them 155th in the country.

The Minnesota defense allows 33.9% from downtown (219 of 646) and opponents are knocking down 72.4% of their shots from the free throw line. They give up 14.4 assists and 32.6 rebounds every game, which ranks 263rd and 71st in D-1. The Golden Gophers on the defensive end are ranked 42nd in college in points allowed per game with 68.0. They are forcing 11.3 TO's per game and have allowed teams to shoot 44.0% from the field (176th in the nation).

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take UCLA

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