UCLA vs. Cal State Fullerton Odds & Pick: November 16th 2009

UCLA vs. Cal State Fullerton
Free Pick: Cal State Fullerton +16 -110 odds
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UCLA could be a team in transition this season. The Bruins lost four starters including over 60 percent of their scoring and rebounding as well as their best defenders. The leading returning scorer only 9.4 ppg and he’s coming back from a fractured thumb that put him well behind in fall drill and workouts. They will have a very inexperienced player at point guard and that is just the opposite of what we have seem from the Bruins in past years as that had been the glue that holds the team together. UCLA brought in a very strong recruiting class but this team is extremely young and that means some early season struggles are bound to happen. As an example, it the Bruins first exhibition game, they were nearly upset by Concordia, an NAIA team, and then playing a close game for the majority of the time against Humboldt St. in the second exhibition. If those two schools can keep it close, imagine what an experienced team can do. The Titans lost the best player in the Big West Conference in Josh Akognon as his 23.9 ppg have moved on. The good news for CS-Fullerton is that it returns all of the other four starters and that may actually make it a better team as there is more balance and a strong frontcourt will be featured more. The Titans defeated Hope in their opener this season and they cannot be compared to the Bruins but the opening result was good. CS-Fullerton shot 61.5 percent from the floor in that game and 10 different players saw at least 13 minutes of playing time. There is no star for the Titans but the added depth and balance is what the strengths are this season. It needs to be pointed out that the Bruins have been pretty banged up this preseason and the lack of practice time has wreaked havoc on a young team trying to iron out head coach Ben Howland’s intense defensive system. They are having trouble defending the dribble and up top is where all of the defensive problems can really hurt since it is like a domino effect going down. Fullerton falls into a solid early season situation as well. Play on any team that is coming off a win by 20 points or more, and that has three or more starters returning from last year than its opponent, in the first ten games of the season. This situation is 64-31 ATS (67.4 percent) over the last five seasons. Also, CS-Fullerton is 13-3 ATS in its last 16 games following a game where it scored 80 or more points. 3* CS-Fullerton Titans