The Purdue Boilermakers (25-8) vs. the UCLA Bruins (23-10) caps the Big Ten Tournament’s semifinal on Saturday, March 14, tipping off at 3:30 p.m. ET on CBS.
Similar to the regular-season matchup, Purdue is a 5.5-point favorite for the spread on Saturday. However, UCLA just took down Michigan State as an underdog on Friday night.
Let’s break down the matchup and make a Purdue vs. UCLA prediction on the spread. Make your college basketball picks on PrizePicks and PrizePicks Team Picks and earn real money if you’re right, including on game winners, spreads, and totals!
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Purdue vs. UCLA Prediction, Spread, Over/Under
Since UCLA joined the Big Ten in 2024, the head-to-head series is split at 1-1 outright and against the spread (ATS). The Bruins defeated the Boilermakers, 69-67, as 5.5-point underdogs on January 20.
Purdue is only 4-6 ATS in its last 10 games, while UCLA is riding a four-game winning streak paired with a 4-0 ATS mark in the split.
Purdue vs. UCLA Spread, Over/Under
PrizePicks Team Picks labels Purdue as a 5.5-point favorite — the same point spread from January 20’s head-to-head matchup.
UCLA hunts another upset victory with its 3.57x payout if they win, via PrizePicks Team Picks, where you can earn money with your picks in 35 states.
- Spread: Purdue Boilermakers -5.5
- Over/Under: 147.5
- Gamer Winner Payout: Purdue 1.29x | UCLA 3.57x
Team Picks data is live at the time of writing and is subject to change.
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Purdue vs. UCLA Prediction on Spread – 3/14/26
During their four-game winning streak, the Bruins have converted 39-of-96 3-point attempts (40.6%). They’ve increased their volume with 24.0 shots from deep per contest, compared to 21.0 for the season (31st percentile).
Keep in mind, UCLA shoots 38.3% from beyond the arc (96th percentile). Led by elite efficiency, this 3-point attack could be deadly with more shots, and Purdue gives up 25.8 attempted triples per game (15th percentile). Bart Torvik also ranks the Boilermakers in the eighth percentile for 3-point shot distribution allowed.
Purdue also features a lethal attack from deep, shooting 38.2% on 3-pointers (95th percentile) while making 9.4 treys per game (86th percentile). The Bruins give up a high volume, ranking in the 10th percentile of 3-point shot distribution allowed.
However, opponents shoot only 31.7% from deep vs. UCLA (85th percentile), while the Boilermakers cede a 34.3% mark (44th percentile).
The Bruins’ potential advantages from deep may be the difference for college basketball predictions on Saturday, March 14.
Make Purdue vs. UCLA Picks on PrizePicks
Will UCLA win and cover its fifth consecutive game? Past head-to-head success vs. Purdue further points to potential success for the Bruins in Saturday’s Big Ten Tournament semifinal.
Make your Purdue vs. UCLA picks and Big Ten Tournament predictions at PrizePicks and PrizePicks Team Picks, where you can earn real-money rewards for your predictions if you’re right.
Just choose players, predict More or Less on their projected stats, and follow the hoops action to see if your picks hit. You can make picks on winners, spreads, and over/unders on Team Picks, now available in 35 states.
Keep tabs on the Playbook for continued college basketball predictions, picks, and news all the way through the NCAA Tournament.
