NCAA Lines: Washington at UCLA

Isaiah Thomas and the Huskies take on UCLA tonight. (AP Images)"]

The Pacific-10 has made huge strides in 2009, thanks in large part to the rise of the Washington Huskies (19-6 SU, 15-8 ATS). The conference leaders might be in for a rude awakening, though. Thursday’s tilt with the mighty UCLA Bruins (19-6 SU, 12-12 ATS) takes place at Pauley Pavilion, where UCLA is looking for revenge after dropping an 86-75 decision to Washington (-2) last month in Seattle.

The Bruins will be very happy to get back to Pauley after back-to-back losses at Arizona State (+1.5) and Arizona (+5). At home, UCLA is a sparkling 14-1 SU and 9-4 ATS. But the most compelling line for handicappers is the over record for both teams: 14-8 for Washington and 16-8 for UCLA. The Bruins defense has dipped from No. 3 in efficiency to No. 33 in the Division I rankings, while Washington’s offense has improved from No. 58 to No. 24.

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