2022 NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen: No. 4 UCLA Bruins vs. No. 8 North Carolina Tar Heels
How to Watch:
- Date: Friday, March 25
- Time: 9:39 p.m. ET
- Location: Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, PA
- TV: CBS
- Live Stream: NCAA.com
Tale of the Tape:
| No. 4 UCLA | STAT | No. 8 UNC |
| Pac 12 | Conference | ACC |
| 27-7 | Record | 26-9 |
| 76.4 (55th) | Points Per Game | 77.5 (40th) |
| 64.8 | Points Allowed Per Game | 71.7 |
| 0.6296 (10th) | RPI | 0.593 (35th) |
| 37th | Strength of Schedule | 54th |
| At-Large Bid | Bid | At-Large Bid |
Can’t Miss Offer From Caesars
UCLA leaders:
- Johnny Juzang, G, JR: 16.0 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 1.8 APG, 36.2% 3PT
- Jaime Jaquez Jr., G, JR: 14.0 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 2.2 APG, 1.2 SPG
North Carolina leaders:
- Armando Bacot, F, JR: 16.4 PPG, 12.4 RPG, 1.8 BPG, 58.9% FG
- Caleb Love, G, SO: 15.6 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 3.8 APG, 1.1 SPG
Odds, Lines, and Past Performance:
- UCLA Moneyline: -135
- UNC Moneyline: +115
- Spread: UCLA -2.5
- Over/Under: 141.5
- ATS Record: UCLA 18-15-1, UNC 17-17-1
- Over/Under Record: UCLA 17-17, UNC 21-13-1
Odds courtesy of Draftkings. For the latest odds, click here.
The Pick:
- The Bruins survived a scare against Akron 57-53 and only shot 35.2% from the field and 36.4% from beyond the arc. Johnny Juzang himself was just 3-11 from the field, but he found his stroke against St. Mary’s, going 6-11 for 14 points and eight rebounds, and the Bruins as a team shot 56.5% from the field and 44.4% from three in an easy win.
- The Bruins are the 8th-ranked team by KenPom and have the 12th-ranked defense, which helped them hold St. Mary’s to 56 points on 40.8% from the field.
- They’ll have their hands full with this Tar Heels offense. In round one, Caleb Love had 23 points on 6-13 shooting from three, Armando Bacot double-doubled with 17 points and ten rebounds, and Brady Manek also double-doubled with 28 points and 11 rebounds. Against Baylor, Bacot went for 15 points and 16 rebounds while Manek had 26 points before being ejected for a flagrant foul.
- The Tar Heels will want to run-and-gun. They rank 38th in adjusted tempo and 54th in the nation in three-point percentage at 36.2% and taking 22.8 threes a game. They shot 37.1% in the first round on a whopping 35 attempts from deep and shot 44% on 25 attempts against Baylor. If they are hitting from beyond the arc, they are a tough team to beat.
- The Bruins play at a much slower pace, 271st in the nation in adjusted tempo, so they will be very uncomfortable if this game turns into a track meet.
- Two things to keep in mind are that the Bruins play eight or nine guys regularly, while the Tar Heels play their starters most of the game, so foul trouble could be a major issue for the underdogs. Also, if this game is close at the end, the Tar Heels rank 19th in the country in free-throw shooting (77%) while the Bruins rank 95th (74.2%).
