posted March 22, 2008 at 19:21 EST in NCAA B Articles

BetUS March Madness Betting Odds: UCLA -10, Total 125

The UCLA Bruins (32-3 SU, 21-12-1 ATS) are considered by many to have the easiest path to the Final Four. But if they want to continue on that path, they'll have to first get by the Aggies of Texas A&M (25-10 SU, 17-13 ATS) in the second round of the NCAA tournament's West Regional, tipping off at 9:15 PM ET on Saturday at the Honda Center in Anaheim.

At BetUS Sportsbook, UCLA is listed as a 10-point favorite, with a total of 125 points.

Here are some of the NCAA college basketball betting trends as they relate to this matchup:

* A&M has covered five of its last six games

* A&M has lost six of its last 11 games SU

* A&M has played five of its last seven games UNDER the total

* UCLA has won its last 11 games SU

* UCLA is 4-5 ATS in its last nine games

* UCLA has played four of its last six games OVER the total

I'm giving a lot of credit to the Aggies for their win over BYU. And now this team has covered four straight games, and five of their last six. But I still don't really know which Aggie team is going to show up for any given game. And is anyone can bring out the "Hyde" in a Jekyll-and-Hyde team, it's UCLA.

As we know by now, the Bruins held Mississippi Valley State to just 29 points on Thursday; granted, that was just a warmup, but you get the sense Ben Howland does not want his team to ever have letdowns in this tourney. One of the things Howland can do is devise a defensive strategy to out the lockdown on A&M's hot-shooting Josh Carter, who showed some signs of regaining his 2007 form (leading nation with 50% from arc last year) with 26 points against BYU.

Elsewhere, Texas A&M can be compromised. Sure, there are capable front court people like Bryan Davis and Joseph Jones, but seven-foot freshman DeAndre Jordan is less a great player than the promise of a great player. He was held scoreless against BYU before being benched. He'll get eaten alive by Kevin Love, who may not be as good a pro down the road, but who will have 50 different ways to win individual battles in the half-court. Luc Richard Mbah a Moute is back as well, so the Bruins will bang the boards favorably. Count a big backcourt edge to UCLA as well, with genuine star Darren Collison and defensive whiz Russell Westbrook.

Yes, it's double digits, but I like UCLA, which has a killer instinct, to run away with things here, against an A&M team that can still look like a massive underachiever on occasion. So I lay the ten points with the Bruins, the favorite at BetUS Sportsbook.

JAY'S PLAY: UCLA

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(Charles Jay of http://www.eBookies.com gives it the old college try as a regular contributor to the BetUS Locker Room)