North Carolina Tar Heels vs UCLA Bruins Matchup

Read on to get betting odds and analysis in our North Carolina vs UCLA NCAA Basketball prediction and preview and see who we think will win and cover the spread in New York.

North Carolina vs UCLA Prediction

Making on a bet on this NCAA game featuring the Tar Heels versus the Bruins? Tip off is at at 3:00 ET, and you can watch it all unfold on CBS. The game will be played at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY. This non-conference matchup has an over/under of 150.5 points, and UCLA is favored by -1.5 vs. North Carolina.

North Carolina vs. UCLA Matchup At A Glance

Sport: NCAAB
Teams: North Carolina Tar Heels at UCLA Bruins
Where: New York at Madison Square Garden
Date: Saturday, December 21st
Betting Odds UCLA -1.5, NCAR +107 | UCLA -129 O/U 150.5

Tar Heels Preview: Will North Carolina Pull Through as the Underdog Road Team?

North Carolina's season record fell to 6-5 after a 90-84 home loss to Florida on Tuesday. The Tar Heels entered the game as +3.5 point underdogs and failed to cover the spread. The total points for the game hit 174, surpassing the over/under line of 167.5.

After trailing 46-34 at halftime, North Carolina put up a fight in the second half, scoring 50 points while allowing 44. Despite their efforts, the Tar Heels couldn't close the gap enough to pull off the win.

Tar Heels Offense Breakdown

North Carolina put up 84 points in their last game, shooting 45.8% from the field. Their effective field goal percentage was 50%, thanks largely to their 63.6% shooting inside the arc, as they struggled from three-point range, hitting just 5 of 28 attempts (17.9%).

RJ Davis led the way with 29 points and 8 rebounds, shooting 52.6% overall, though he made only 3 of 11 threes. Will Richard was efficient, scoring 22 points on 8 of 10 shooting, including 3 of 5 from deep.

Tar Heels Team Defense

Despite North Carolina's defensive struggles, they held their opponent to just 5 made threes on 28 attempts, a 17% shooting performance from beyond the arc. However, their interior defense was a different story, as they allowed 28 two-point field goals on 44 attempts, with their opponent shooting 63% from inside the arc.

North Carolina also sent their opponent to the free-throw line 19 times, where they converted 13 attempts for a 68% free-throw shooting performance. Additionally, the Tar Heels gave up 13 offensive rebounds in the game.

Bruins Preview: Will the Bruins Live Up to Expectations at Home?

UCLA improved to 10-1 on the season with a dominant 111-75 win over Prairie View A&M on Tuesday. Playing at home, the Bruins entered the game as heavy favorites, and they covered the -34 point spread.

After leading 53-36 at halftime, UCLA poured in 58 points in the 2nd half while allowing 39. The total points for the game reached 186, surpassing the over/under line of 146.5.

Bruins Offense Breakdown

UCLA's offense was firing on all cylinders in their last game, putting up 111 points with a field goal percentage of 59%. Their effective field goal percentage was an impressive 67.2%, thanks to 65% shooting from two-point range and 47.6% from beyond the arc. The Bruins also hit 78.4% of their free throws, connecting on 29 of 37 attempts.

Jordan Tillmon led the way with 24 points, hitting 6 of 7 threes, while Dylan Andrews added 21 points and 6 assists, shooting 75% from deep. UCLA dished out 26 assists as a team, with Kobe Johnson contributing 7 assists to go along with his 12 points.

Bruins Team Defense

UCLA's defense struggled in their last game, giving up 75 points on 59% shooting from the field. The Bruins allowed their opponents to shoot 65% from two-point range, as they made 26 of their 40 attempts.

From beyond the arc, UCLA's defense allowed 10 threes on 21 attempts, a 47% shooting performance. They also sent their opponents to the free-throw line 37 times, where they converted 29 of those attempts, shooting 78%. UCLA gave up 12 offensive rebounds in the game.

Tar Heels vs Bruins Betting Odds, Trends & Analysis

When looking at their past five road matchups, North Carolina has an ATS record of 4-1 while averaging 78 per game. The team went 3-2 overall in these games.
Across their last three home contests, UCLA has been good against the spread posting a mark of 2-1. Their overall mark in these games was 2-1, while averaging 64 points per game.
The last ten games that North Carolina was the underdog, they have an ATS mark of 3-7 while going 2-8 straight up.
Spanning across their last ten games as the betting favorite, the Bruins have gone 7-3 vs the spread. Their overall record in these games was 9-1.