Dana Altman is widely considered a very good college basketball coach and his teams tend to perform well as the season progresses.
However, Oregon has lost six straight games and the situation might not get much better, given the Ducks are playing without their top two scorers due to injury.
The Ducks just lost by 15 points at Washington. The Huskies outrebounded Oregon 45-23, and that induced some critical comments by Altman.
Oregon hosts UCLA on Wednesday as a 2.5-point underdog with a total of 141.5 points.
Mick Cronin has righted the ship for the Bruins, as they have won four of five games. That includes a solid upset win over Purdue, but they are just 2-3 on the road in conference play.
I anticipate a spirited effort from Oregon, given Altman’s criticism. The Ducks are shorthanded but they should respond with effort. I think the game comes down to the wire but I do think there is an edge with the total.
Oregon has gone under in five straight, thanks to poor shooting without Nate Biddle and Jackson Shelstad. Plus, UCLA has gone under in six of its last seven games.
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I fully expect these trends to continue, especially with Altman emphasizing rebounding. The Ducks rank dead last in the conference in opponent offensive rebounding percentage so that should improve in this matchup.
I have a 91-79-2 ATS record in this Post sports section, pending Tuesday’s play.
The pick: Oregon-UCLA Under 141.5 points (-110, FanDuel Sportsbook).
Why Trust New York Post Betting
Doug Kezirian is a New York Post contributor who has over two decades of experience in the betting space, including spending 11 years at ESPN as a host, columnist and betting analyst. He’s also the rare personality who has documented success – 14th place in 2023 Circa Million and Las Vegas SuperContest ($37K), two top-10 finishes in 2022 William Hill College Football Challenge ($58K) and also grabbed headlines with a $297K win on the 2021 NFL Draft.
