JEFF'S COLLEGE HOOPS PAC-12 GAME OF WEEK

Between untimely injuries and seemingly endless COVID-related issues, Stanford head coach Jerod Haase has struggled to find sustained success during his six-year tenure in Palo Alto. However, this season brings better luck and optimism with the return of star forward Harrison Ingram, who decided to stay for his sophomore campaign to improve his NBA Draft stock. Ingram is averaging 10.4 points and 5.4 rebounds per game and is joined in the frontcourt by last year’s leading scorer, senior Spencer Jones. Fellow senior Brandon Angel gives Stanford a veteran frontcourt capable of competing at an elite level on a nightly basis. Stanford’s backcourt was improved via the transfer portal with the arrival of senior Michael Jones, who started 34 games for Davidson last season and shot 42.1% from beyond the arc. Junior guard Michael O’Connell is one of four returning starters from last year’s squad and gives Haase veteran leadership at the point. Stanford is playing excellent defense this season, allowing just 63.3 points per game to teams that would combine to average 70.6 points per game against a mediocre defense. In contrast, the Bruins are 0-2 SU and ATS on the road this season where they are allowing 79.5 points per game on 48.6% shooting from the field and 41.5% from three-point territory. Stanford has fallen short of market expectations this season, but the Cardinal are 11-2 ATS after failing to cover the spread in four of five of their last six games over the last three seasons. Finally, my math model only favors UCLA by 4.12 points in this game and the home team is 8-2 ATS in the past ten meetings in this series. Grab the points with the live home underdog and invest with confidence.