The UCLA Bruins and the UNC Asheville Bulldogs get each other for the opening round of the 2023 NCAA tournament. Who will win and survive? Check out our preview of this UCLA vs UNC Asheville matchup in the 2023 March Madness. There are more college basketball previews to read here at TopBet, so feel free to look around and make bets on the NCAA tournament once you’re ready.
The Bruins might be feeling a little disrespected by getting just a No. 2 seed in the Big Dance, but that doesn’t change the fact that UCLA is one of the strongest teams in the NCAA tournament – and definitely is expected to take care of business in the first round. The Bruins lost in the Pac-12 tournament title game against the Arizona Wildcats, 61-59, last Saturday, but that shouldn’t discourage UCLA fans from expecting a big win by the team this coming Thursday. Defensively, one could make a strong argument that the Bruins are the best in the nation. After all, UCLA is No. 1 in adjusted defensive efficiency overall and is sixth with just 60.3 points allowed per game. That spells trouble for the Bulldogs, who are just 195th in the nation in AdjO.
UCLA is 4-1 against the spread in its last five games.
The Bulldogs will play with so much pride against UCLA, that’s for sure. UNC Asheville got a ticket to the Big Dance by winning the Big South Conference tournament, defeating the Campbell Camel in the finals last Sunday, 77-73. Although an unknown team when compared to most teams that made the NCAA tournament this year, the Bulldogs have some qualities that could help them stage an upset on Thursday. For one, they get to the line a lot. They are 24th in the nation with 22.1 free-throw attempts per game, which means UNC Asheville draws a ton of fouls from opponents. Teams are fouling at a high rate of 25.9 percent when up against the Bulldogs.
UNC Asheville is 5-3 against the spread in its last eight games overall.
