Pepperdine Waves vs. UCLA Bruins Picks and Prediction for Friday, November 7, 2025
Use Code WWWC Pepperdine Waves (1-0) vs. UCLA Bruins (1-0)
The opening week of the 2025-26 college basketball season continues Friday, November 7, with the Pepperdine Waves taking on the UCLA Bruins in the non-conference showdown at Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles, CA, so we’ve prepared the Pepperdine vs. UCLA prediction to get you covered.
The Waves meet the Bruins for the first time since November 23, 2022, when UCLA dismantled Pepperdine 100-53 as a 16-point home fave. The Bruins have won seven straight contests against the Waves, and Pepperdine has only covered once during that stretch.
Will UCLA extend its dominance over Pepperdine? Read more about this Pepperdine vs. UCLA prediction, and check out all our NCAAB picks for Friday’s card. The tip-off at Pauley Pavilion is set at 10:30 PM ET.
Pepperdine beats Life Pacific on opening night
The 2025-26 college basketball season tipped off last Monday, and the Pepperdine Waves started their campaign with a home clash against the NAIA Life Pacific. The Waves outlasted the Warriors 88-80, overcoming an 11-point deficit.
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Pepperdine made 53.2% of its field goals on opening night. The Waves went 10-for-25 from beyond the arc but missed 10 of their 22 attempts from the foul line. They outscored Life Pacific 44-24 in the paint while posting a whopping 19 offensive rebounds.
Junior guard Aaron Clark led the way for Pepperdine with 14 points, four rebounds, and four steals. Senior forward Javon Cooley and sophomore forward Pavle Stosic accounted for 13 points each, while sophomore guard Styles Phipps posted a line of nine points, seven rebounds, and five assists.
The Waves return just 10.6% of minutes played and 8.3% of points scored from their 2024-25 roster. Last season, Pepperdine went 13-22 overall and 4-14 in conference play. The Waves upset Portland 86-73, Oregon State 77-73, and Santa Clara 78-76 in the WCC Tournament before losing to Saint Mary’s 74-59 in the semifinal.
UCLA failed to cover in its season opener
The No. 12 UCLA Bruins started their 2025-26 campaign last Monday, too. They outlasted 80-74 Eastern Washington at Pauley Pavilion. The Bruins were listed as massive 29.5-point home favorites, but they were nowhere near beating the number.
UCLA led Eastern Washington by as many as 15 points. The Bruins shot 47.1% from the field (8-for-26 from downtown), and their defense wasn’t sharp, as the Eagles made 53.7% of their field goals (7-for-25 from deep).
Senior guard Donovan Dent put on a strong performance in his UCLA debut. The former New Mexico star notched 21 points, nine assists, and four rebounds in 36 minutes on the floor. Senior forward Tyler Bilodeau had 19 points and six rebounds, and junior forward Xavier Booker added 14 points and seven boards.
The Bruins return 43.0% of minutes played and 48.8% of scoring from their 2024-25 roster. They went 23-11 overall and 13-7 in conference play last season. After an 86-70 loss against Wisconsin in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinal, UCLA reached the 2025 March Madness second round. The Bruins trounced Utah State 72-47 before losing to Tennessee 67-58.
Pepperdine vs. UCLA Pick
Spread Pick for Pepperdine vs. UCLA
- Pepperdine +27.5 (5 units)
Both UCLA and Pepperdine struggled to defend on opening night. The Waves allowed 80 points to Life Pacific, and the Bruins allowed Eastern Washington to make 53.7% of its field goals.
As I said, the Bruins were nowhere near covering the spread against the Eagles. They are listed as huge favorites once more, so I have to take the Waves, even though I don’t trust Pepperdine’s defense at all.
UCLA will win this game comfortably. Hopefully, the Bruins will give some of their best players some rest down the stretch. The backdoor should be open for the Waves.
Over/Under Pick for Pepperdine vs. UCLA
- Over 152.5 (5 units)
I can only look at the over when it comes to the total in this matchup. The Bruins’ defense will improve sooner rather than later, but I cannot claim the same about the Waves’ defense. Both teams have a lot of new players on their rosters, so they’ll need some time to gel.
UCLA doesn’t like to run up and down the floor a lot, but the Bruins won’t mind speeding things up in this game. The Waves prefer to play fast, and their defense in transition is far from an elite level. The last two encounters between Pepperdine and UCLA have produced more than 152 points in total, and the Bruins have hit a 100-point mark on both occasions.
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