The Bruins have superior to the Candy 16 and a matchup with a fellow blue blood program looms.
No. 4 seed UCLA males’s basketball (27-7, 15-5 Pac-12) is making an attempt to return to the Last 4 for the second consecutive 12 months, however on their path to San Antonio lies No. 8 seed North Carolina (26-9, 15-5 ACC). The Tar Heels defeated No. 1 seed Baylor in Saturday’s opening contest they usually may create a extremely aggressive affair with the Bruins with a visit to the Elite Eight at stake.
In line with SI Betting, UCLA is favored within the contest by 2.5 factors. Nonetheless, the standing of guard / ahead Jaime Jaquez Jr. – who suffered an ankle sprain within the second spherical contest in opposition to Saint Mary’s – could throw a wrench into coach Mick Cronin’s gameplan and due to this fact the general ambiance of the matchup.
Right here is how the Bruins’ battle with the Tar Heels is being predicted by faculty basketball analysts throughout the web.
J. Brady McCollough: UCLA def. North Carolina, 69-66
“Within the first spherical, I had loads of confidence in UCLA, and the Bruins received fortunate to win in opposition to Akron. Within the second spherical, I flipped to St. Mary’s, and UCLA seemed like a Last 4 workforce as soon as once more. My intestine says the Tar Heels’ Armando Bacot will feast inside and that the Bruins are in bother if Jaime Jaquez Jr. cannot go. However I will go in opposition to my instincts and belief UCLA’s poise in robust moments whether or not Jaquez performs or not. ”
David Kenyon: North Carolina def. UCLA
Kerry Miller: North Carolina def. UCLA
Joel Reuter: North Carolina def. UCLA
UCLA wins if: “Its mid-range photographs are falling. In Saturday’s win over Saint Mary’s, UCLA shot 17-of-31 (54.8 %) within the space between the three-point arc and the restricted arc, per ESPN. Johnny Juzang and Jaime Jaquez Jr. principally dwell in what most offenses contemplate no man’s land. And in video games that each of these guys are making these buckets, UCLA could be very robust to beat, largely as a result of the Bruins’ final 12 opponents have averaged simply 61.0 factors. “
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UNC wins if: “Brady Manek stays sizzling. North Carolina has received 9 consecutive video games wherein Manek scores at the very least 13 factors and has a year-to-date document of 19-3 when he reaches that mark. And he is averaging 27.0 within the match — this regardless of lacking about 35 % of Saturday’s sport in opposition to Baylor after getting ejected for elbowing Jeremy Sochan. If he begins raining in threes (20 made in his final six video games), it will be greater than UCLA’s mid-range twos. “
Seth Davis: North Carolina def. UCLA
“The large query going into this sport would be the well being of Jaime Jaquez Jr., the Bruins’ 6-7 junior ahead who missed the final seven minutes of their second-round win over Saint Mary’s as a result of she tweaked her chronically injured proper ankle. It is a disgrace, too, as a result of the Bruins had began to point out their Last 4 kind whereas successful six of their final seven video games. Johnny Juzang has additionally battled some accidents and been struggling of late, averaging 10.0 factors on 19.0 % 3-point capturing over his final eight video games. Between these two query marks, and between the surge that North Carolina is on, I will go together with the underdogs. The Tar Heels have been about to coast house to an enormous win over reigning champ and top-seeded Baylor when 6-8 tremendous senior ahead Brady Manek, who had already scored 26 factors, was ejected with almost 9 minutes remaining. North Carolina’s backcourt duo of Caleb Love and RJ Davis have been good of late, and 6-10 junior ahead Armando Bacot, who’s averaging 1 7.0 factors and 13.8 rebounds over his final 9 video games, is well-equipped to reap the benefits of UCLA’s lack of measurement. The Tar Heels had the best scoring common (94.0) and most made 3s (24) of any workforce within the match in the course of the first two rounds. I do not see them cooling off anytime quickly. “
Todd Furman: UCLA def. North Carolina
“While you take a look at Johnny Juzang, the story of final 12 months’s NCAA match, he scored single figures in three out of his six video games since getting back from harm in his personal proper. So I believe, while you look down that Bruins roster, guys like Jules Bernard and Tyger Campbell must be excellent. The one factor about UCLA that makes them such a tough out on this setting – they do not flip the basketball over. And North Carolina is not nice so far as their halfcourt protection is worried . The place North Carolina makes their hay is attending to the offensive glass and controlling the defensive glass. RJ Davis has been large thus far capturing the basketball, I am unsure that retains up, however should you like UCLA, wait this sport out so long as potential. As a result of if Jaquez is dominated out, I can see a situation the place this sport goes round a choose ’em, and if he is formally upgraded, UCLA may leak the three. I believe the Bruins win this sport and I will again them on the cash line.
Isaac Trotter: UCLA def. North Carolina, advance to Last 4
“The final (Last 4) workforce for me is UCLA. And what are the 4 groups, these 4 groups, what are their widespread denominators? All of them simply have no flaws. All 4 of them defend, all 4 of them take environment friendly, good photographs offensively. All 4 of them have a number of choices that may rating, they’re deep, they’ve weapons everywhere, actually good coaches on all 4 of those groups. “
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