College Basketball Betting: No. 2 UCLA Rolls On Behind Kevin Love

Kevin Love puts back a deuce for the Bruins on Tuesday. (AP Images)

With each minute he spends on the Pauley Pavilion floor, Kevin Love continues to solidify himself as the top big man in college basketball.

And he’s only a freshman.

For the third straight game, Love led No. 2 UCLA to an overpowering victory. This time it was a 76-41 triumph over CS-Bernardino at Pauley Pavilion on Tuesday night.

The Bruins covered the point spread, which favored them by a massive 32 points. The betting total was under 135 points.

Love, a 6-10, 270-pound center, scored a team-high 19 points and grabbed nine rebounds. With 97-year-old John Wooden in attendance, Love scored 10 straight UCLA points in the second half as the Bruins pulled away and improved to 3-0 straight up and against the point spread.

Josh Shipp scored 16 for UCLA, which won its 23rd straight game at home.

In other Top 25 college basketball action on Tuesday:

No. 9 Washington State 86, Boise State 74: Derrick Low netted 26 points to lead the Cougars, who covered the 7.5-point spread on the road.

No. 12 Michigan State 86, Chicago State 53: Raymar Morgan had 25 points and 15 rebounds to power the Spartans at East Lansing, Mich. The Spartans were favored by 26.5.

No. 14 Gonzaga 80, Idaho 43: Austin Daye, a sharp-shooting freshman, scored 18 points to lead the Bulldogs, who were favored by 24 at home.

No. 15 Texas A&M 67, Oral Roberts 53: The Aggies were led by 15 points from Josh Carter. Texas A&M didn’t cover the point spread, which favored it by 17 at College Station, Texas.

No. 17 Arizona 76, Northern Arizona 69: Chase Budinger scored 25 points as the Wildcats won in Tucson, Ariz., but failed to cover the 21-point spread.

No. 25 Syracuse 72, St. Joseph’s 69: Super frosh Jonny Flynn swished a three-pointer with 5.8 seconds left to break a tie and lift the Orange, who failed to cover the 5.5-point spread at the Carrier Dome. Syracuse advanced to the third round of the Preseason NIT.

For college basketball odds throughout the season, check the Bodog Sportsbook daily. And be sure to read Bodog Nation’s 2007-08 college basketball preview, spotlighting Kevin Love and UCLA.