Buckle up for another Saturday filled with college hoops action, as the No. 11 North Carolina Tar Heels and the No. 22 UCLA Bruins battle it out at Barclays Center. Expect this game to go straight down the wire between these two offensive juggernauts. Who will reign supreme over the other? Will the Tar Heels impose their will? Or will the Bruins keep rolling?
Read on below for a full breakdown of this mouth-watering matchup. And if you’re craving for some NFL action, you can check out our comprehensive preview of the Monday Night Football game between the Detroit Lions at New Orleans Saints.
[sc:MarchMadness ]North Carolina Tar Heels vs. UCLA Bruins Preview
Where: Barclays Center, Brooklyn, NY
When: Saturday, December 19, 1:00 PM ET
Line: North Carolina Tar Heels vs. UCLA Bruins– view all NCAA Basketball lines
TV Broadcast: CBS
Betting on the North Carolina Tar Heels (8-2)
After a heart-breaking two-point loss to Texas on Saturday, the North Carolina Tar Heels made sure to redeem themselves with a commanding 96-72 triumph at the expense of Tulane. Starring in that game was their senior forward in Brice Johnson, who erupted for a career-high 25 points along with 10 rebounds.
[sc:NCAAB240banner ] Now, the 11th-ranked Tar Heels will attempt to replicate that effort when they go toe-to-toe with the No. 22 UCLA Bruins at Barclays Center. UNC is 3-5-2 ATS this season and is 3-1 in its last four opposite the Bruins.
Key to the Tar Heels’ success will heavily depend on their loaded offense that ranks among the best in the nation with 85.3 points per game. The pair of Marcus Paige and Johnson is a testament to this achievement. Both players are the team’s top two point-getters with 17.3 and 14.6 points per game respectively.
Besides these two, the trio of Justin Jackson, Kennedy Meeks and Joel Berry II are also more than capable to help provide some boost on offense. Jackson is contributing 14.0 PPG while Meeks and Berry have combined for 23.7 this season.
It’s worth keeping in mind though, that the Tar Heels will have to worry about UCLA’s formidable starting five, who are all averaging in double-figures. That said, UNC’s got to raise their defensive tenacity as well if they wish to emerge triumphant in this one.
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Betting on the UCLA Bruins (8-3)
Here come the Bruins! UCLA continued its unbeaten run to five games after a nine-point win over Louisiana-Lafayette on Tuesday. From start to finish, they had control of the entire ball game even without their starting center Thomas Welsh and key reserve Prince Ali, who were both sidelined with health issues.
The No.22 Bruins didn’t really need those two thanks to a big-time performance from their junior point guard in Bryce Alford, who filled up the stat sheet with a season-high of 27 points, six rebounds and seven assists. He did have six turnovers under his name as well, however.
Nevertheless, a win is a win and Alford will look to lead the Bruins towards their sixth-consecutive victory when they square off with the No. 11 North Carolina Tar Heels. UCLA is 5-2 SU and 3-4 ATS in its last seven contests.
In order for Alford and co. to succeed in doing so, their defense, which is averaging 75.0 points allowed per game, has to step up and prevent their opponents from racking up the points. But that’ll be easier said than done against UNC, who are one of the best offensive teams in the nation.
Fortunately though, the Bruins won’t be fazed by that at all since they too have a bunch of capable scorers on their side. Other than Alford, there’s the pair of Tony Parker and Isaac Hamilton to carry some of the offensive load. Both are averaging at least 14 points per game this season and should be able to receive some attention from the opposing defense.
Writer’s Prediction
UCLA wins, 79-75. Create a betting account now and build a winning college basketball parlay.
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