UCLA Bruins vs Penn State Nittany Lions Prediction, 1/14/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: UCLA Bruins vs Penn State Nittany Lions

Date: Wednesday, January 14, 2026

Location: Bryce Jordan Center in University Park, PA

TV: FS1

The Penn State Nittany Lions (9-7) will play the UCLA Bruins (11-5) at Bryce Jordan Center on Wednesday.

The UCLA Bruins played Maryland and took home the win by a score of 67-55 in their last game. In reference to personal fouls, the Bruins ended up with 14 while Maryland accounted for 23 personal fouls. They converted 6 out of their 33 attempts from beyond the arc. Maryland finished the contest at 60.0% at the charity stripe by making 9 of their 15 tries. In addition, Maryland grabbed 43 rebounds (18 offensive, 25 defensive), but wrapped up the game with no rejections. Maryland recorded 11 dimes and had 4 steals in this contest. Pertaining to defense, UCLA allowed the other team to shoot 30.3% from the field on 20 of 66 shooting. They also recorded 15 assists for this game in addition to forcing 11 turnovers and getting 7 steals. When talking about grabbing rebounds, they compiled a total of 28 with 4 of them being on the offensive end. At the charity stripe, the Bruins converted 18 of their 27 attempts for a percentage of 66.7%. UCLA finished the game having earned a 43.1% FG percentage (22 of 51) and converted 5 of their 17 shots from downtown.

Trent Perry is one player who was a major factor in this contest. He shot 50.0% from the floor and dished out 2 assists. He was on the court for 35 mins and also totaled 6 rebounds. He notched 16 points on 5 of 10 shooting.

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UCLA comes into this matchup with a mark of 11-5 for the year. They average 78.9 pts per game (141st in Division 1) on 48.2% from the floor. The Bruins are connecting on 36.5% on shots beyond the perimeter (114 of 312) and 74.4% from the charity stripe. As a team, UCLA is snagging 32.6 rebounds per contest and has racked up 254 assists this season, which ranks 135th in the nation in terms of passing. They are turning it over 10.1 times per contest and as a group are committing 17.6 fouls per contest.

When they are on defense, the Bruins have forced 14.0 turnovers every game while drawing 19.8 personal fouls. They give up 30.0% on 3-point shots while they are 77th in Division 1 in points per game allowed (69.1). The Bruins defense is giving up a shooting percentage of 41.8% (372 of 890) and they relinquish 32.9 boards per game as a squad. They are 170th in college in giving up assists with 219 conceded for the season.

In their last game, the Penn State Nittany Lions took a loss by a score of 93-85 when they faced Purdue. The Nittany Lions were able to collect 22 defensive boards and 5 offensive boards totaling 27 for the contest. They also turned it over 9 times, while earning 2 steals for this contest. Purdue had 10 fouls in this game which took the Nittany Lions to the charity stripe for 10 attempts. They were able to make 9 of the free throws for a rate of 90.0%. Concerning shots from distance, Penn State knocked down 12 out of 27 attempts (44.4%). At the conclusion of this game, the Nittany Lions finished the game shooting 32 for 56 from the field which gave them a rate of 57.1%. The Nittany Lions allowed Purdue to make 38 of their 66 attempts from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 57.6% for the matchup. They shot 37.9% from beyond the arc by connecting on 11 of 29 and finished the contest at 6 out of 14 from the free throw line (42.9%). When it comes to how they cleaned up the glass, Penn State permitted Purdue to grab 26 overall (8 on the offensive side).

Freddie Dilione V was important for the Nittany Lions in this contest. He converted 10 out of 20 for the game for a field goal rate of 50.0%, and had 2 rebounds. He totaled 25 points in his 34 minutes on the hardwood and earned 5 assists in the matchup.

Penn State has a record of 9-7 for the season. The Nittany Lions are committing 15.4 fouls per game and they shoot 72.8% from the free throw line. They are assisting teammates 13.6 times per game (233rd in the nation) and they are turning it over 9.2 times per contest. Penn State has scored 1,250 pts for the season (78.1 per game) and they pull down 31.6 boards per game. When it comes to offensive execution, the Nittany Lions are shooting 47.3% from the field, which ranks them 90th in college.

The Nittany Lions defensively are ranked 232nd in college in points per game surrendered with 75.4. They have forced 13.2 TO's every game and have allowed teams to shoot 48.2% from the field (345th in college). The Penn State defense allows 36.0% on shots from 3-point land (143 of 397) and their opponents are making 74.8% of their shots from the charity stripe. They have relinquished 15.9 dimes and 33.1 rebounds per contest, which is ranked 320th and 101st in D-1.

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Penn State

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