Iowa vs UCLA College Basketball Prediction, Odds, Picks, Best Bets for Jan. 3

The Iowa Hawkeyes (11-2, 1-1 Big Ten) bring a three-game winning streak into a home matchup with the UCLA Bruins (10-3, 2-0 Big Ten), winners of three straight as well.

Before you place your bet on this matchup at FanDuel Sportsbook, here are the NCAA basketball odds and spreads you need to know.

Iowa vs. UCLA Game Info and Odds

• Game day: Saturday, January 3, 2026
• Game time: 6 p.m. ET
• TV channel: Peacock
• Location: Iowa City, Iowa
• Arena: Carver-Hawkeye Arena

Iowa vs. UCLA Picks and Prediction

All college basketball win probability predictions and picks are according to numberFire.
Prediction: Iowa win (68%)

Before you bet on Saturday's Iowa-UCLA spread (Iowa -6.5) or over/under (137.5 points), see the betting trends and insights below.

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Iowa vs. UCLA: ATS Betting Stats and Trends

• Iowa has put together a 10-3-0 ATS record so far this year.
• UCLA has covered five times in 13 chances against the spread this year.
• Iowa covers the spread when it is a 6.5-point favorite or more 80% of the time. That's more often than UCLA covers as an underdog of 6.5 or more (never covered this season).
• The Hawkeyes sported a better record against the spread in home games (7-11-0) than they did in road games (3-7-0) last season.
• In 2024-25 against the spread, the Bruins had a better winning percentage at home (.706, 12-5-0 record) than away (.500, 5-5-0).

Iowa vs. UCLA: Moneyline Betting Stats

• Iowa has been listed as the moneyline favorite eight times this season and has come away with a win in all of those games.
• The Hawkeyes have not lost in seven games this year when favored by -315 or better on the moneyline.
• UCLA has been listed as the moneyline underdog just two other times so far this season, and it lost both games.
• The Bruins have played as a moneyline underdog of +250 or longer in only one game this season, which they lost.
• The moneyline set for this matchup implies Iowa has a 75.9% chance of coming away with a victory in the contest.

Iowa vs. UCLA Head-to-Head Comparison

• Iowa was the 16th-best team in the country in points scored (82.5 per game) but 16th-worst in points allowed (79.7) last season.
• Last season, Iowa was 310th in the country in rebounds (29.7 per game) and 21st-worst in rebounds conceded (34.4).
• With 18.3 assists per game, Iowa was third-best in the nation last season.
• Iowa committed 9.5 turnovers per game last year and forced 12 per game, ranking 35th and 112th, respectively, in the country.
• UCLA scored 74.2 points per game last season (162nd-ranked in college basketball), but it really shined on defense, surrendering only 65.2 points per contest (22nd-best).
• UCLA pulled down 29.9 rebounds per game (300th-ranked in college basketball) last season, while allowing 28.4 rebounds per contest (34th-ranked).
• UCLA put up 16.3 dimes per game, which ranked them 28th in the nation.
• UCLA averaged 10 turnovers per game last season (71st-ranked in college basketball), and it forced 14.4 turnovers per game (13th-best).

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