College basketball season opens with a banger of a card as the Arizona Wildcats face the UCLA Bruins in the back half of a pair of games in Las Vegas. Both teams have loaded, veteran rosters, and we also have a couple of the best freshmen in the country in the mix too. We have future lottery picks and a couple of teams destined for deep runs in March. Expect a battle, and I am taking the Arizona Wildcats -4.5 on opening night.
The Wildcats certainly lost a lot from last year’s Final Four team, but they are nonetheless loaded for another run. They retained stud big man Montiejus Krivas (“Mount Krivas”), who is a seven-foot-two beast inside, plus underrated Ivan Kharchenkov, who was an overshadowed freshman on last year’s loaded team. They also added likely first-round pick Caleb Holt, a six-foot-six guard who can get downhill and attack the rim. This team will still be physical and punishing inside, with plenty of defense and lots of depth to wear people out.
As for UCLA, this is a veteran roster that is deep and talented. Trent Perry is a former McDonald’s All-American who really broke out last year. Xavier Booker and Eric Dailey Jr are a pair of seniors who are tall, rangy and good scorers. They also added a Serbian freshman phenom, Nikola Kusturica, who is a six-foot-nine guard and a sure-fire lottery pick. He will be a matchup problem for just about anybody. I like UCLA this year, but Arizona is poised to be one of the nation’s best. I will take the Wildcats in the opener.
UCLA vs Arizona Prediction: Arizona Wildcats -4.5 (-110) available at the time of publishing. Playable to -6.5.
