North Carolina vs. UCLA: Odds, Spread, Preview & Pick for 2022 NCAA Tournament
North Carolina Tar Heels vs. UCLA Bruins
Friday, March 25, 9:39 p.m. ET
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On Saturday, the North Carolina Tar Heels pulled off a shocking upset against the Baylor Bears. The eighth-seeded Tar Heels had an up-and-down campaign this season but were more skilled than other eight-seeded teams in March Madness this season.
The Tar Heels led by as many as 25 but allowed Baylor to come storming back to put the game into overtime. However, eventually, North Carolina held the lead and ended up winning despite a questionable ejection of Brady Manek.
That game was basically what the Tar Heels are. They are the most inconsistent team in the Tournament but are a team that can make noise too. However, against UCLA, it’s more unlikely. UCLA is just a more complete team. The Bruins are only turning the ball over 13.3% of the time while shooting 35.3% from deep and 49.5% from inside the arc.
On the glass, UCLA will struggle on the offensive end, but the limited turnovers will help UCLA get attempts. With UNC earning just 14.1% turnovers and allowing teams to shoot 34.1% from deep, the Bruins should also have some success from deep, despite the Bruins not taking a lot of threes this season.
On the other hand, the Tar Heels shoot 36.5% from deep and 50.9% from inside the arc. North Carolina is a much better free-throw shooting team, too, hitting 77% from the line. The Tar Heels are earning 30.7% on the glass, but UCLA is holding teams to 24.9% offensive rebounds.
The Bruins also hold teams to 32.1% from deep and 47.3% from inside the arc. There’s a good chance UCLA earns more stops than UNC in the grand scheme of things.
The Bruins are just more complete on both ends of the court. Therefore, I’m siding with UCLA.
Bet: UCLA -2 (-110) at DraftKings
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Jason Radowitz is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Jason, check out his archive and follow him @Jason_Radowitz.