Women’s College Basketball Picks & Predictions: Illinois vs. UCLA (Thursday)

by Travis Pulver |
Feb 20, 2025

The No. 3-ranked UCLA Bruins (24-1, 12-1) host the No. 25-ranked Illinois Fighting Illini (21-5, 11-4) tonight at the Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles, CA. This Big Ten battle will get underway at 9:30 p.m. ET. Fans can find coverage for the game via the Big Ten Network. UCLA bounced back from their first loss of the season last Thursday to the Trojans with a win over Michigan State on Sunday.

But a six-point win was probably not the resounding victory fans were hoping for.

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Illinois vs. UCLA Betting Preview

(Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook)

Details

Betting Line: UCLA -15.5 (-110) | O/U 134.5 (-110)
Location: Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles, CA
Start Time: 9:30 p.m. ET
Coverage: Big Ten Network
Last Meeting: December 19, 2004 - Illinois won 78-63

Overview

The Bruins were stunned on the road last weekend by crosstown rivals USC. They got back on the right side of the scoreboard a couple of days later with a win over Michigan State, but it was not the convincing win fans expected of the soon-to-be former No. 1 team in the country.

UCLA held a nice eight-point lead at the half (41-33) but went into the fourth quarter down by three and the final period down by two (55-53). The Bruins did not pull away for good until the final minute of the game.

Michigan State’s 69 points were the most any team scored on UCLA since Michigan put up 70 against them on New Year's Day.

Illinois will come into this game red-hot but wounded. With a 77-68 win over Nebraska on Sunday, they improved to 11-4 in Big Ten play and won their eighth in a row. Adalia McKenzie led the way for the third game in a row with 23 points. However, in the process, the Bruins lost Jasmine Brown-Hagger to an injury.

Hagger had been playing just over 26 minutes a game and chipped in 8.7 points per game.

The key to the game could be whether UCLA will have Lauren Betts. One of the leading candidates for the John R. Wooden Award, Betts missed UCLA's last game vs. Michigan State with a foot injury. She is considered day-to-day and it’s unclear if she's playing today.

Trends

Illinois leads the all-time series vs. UCLA 3-1; the Bruins’ victory (68-56) came in 2003 (November 30th) at home in L.A.
UCLA has the top-scoring defense in the Big Ten this season (No. 23 in the nation); Illinois has the third-best scoring defense in the conference (No. 84 in the nation).
While the Bruins have the No. 19 offense in the country, it ranks fifth in the Big Ten; Illinois ranks 11th in the conference (No. 73 in the nation).
UCLA has not lost a game at home since January 28th, 2024 vs. Washington State (85-82).

Bottom Line

It all depends on the availability of Lauren Betts. With her, I'd expect the Bruins to control the game and win. They'll probably still win without her, but I wouldn't count on them to cover the spread. She missed a couple of games in December with a foot injury, too. Depending on the severity of the injury, the team may opt to give her further rest to make sure she can be at her best come March Madness time.

Don’t bank on Illinois winning this game, but without Betts, don’t count on UCLA to cover.

Pick: Illinois +15.5 (-110)

Make sure to check out our other best bets for Thursday:

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