The No. 18 UCLA Bruins will face the North Carolina Tar Heels in the CBS Sports Classic in Madison Square Garden this afternoon.
The Tar Heels have gone 0-4 against ranked opponents, and my UCLA vs North Carolina predictions expect that trend to continue.
Here are my best free college basketball picks for this battle between blue bloods on December 21.
UCLA vs North Carolina prediction
My best bet
UCLA -1.5 (-110 at bet365)
My analysis
This is a clash of styles between a slow-paced, defensively elite UCLA Bruins squad and an up-tempo, high-scoring North Carolina attack.
This game will be decided by which team will be able to implement its style, and UCLA has the athleticism and physicality to slow down North Carolina.
The 10-1 Bruins have already faced two of the fastest offenses in New Mexico and Arizona and were able to bring those games to a crawl. This is a typical Mick Cronin defense-first team that ranks fourth in adjusted defensive efficiency per KenPom and forces turnovers at the highest rate in the country.
UNC did a good job at taking care of the ball at the start of the season, but point guard Elliot Cadeau has been sloppy lately. The sophomore had four turnovers in recent games against Michigan State, Alabama, and Florida while coughing it up seven times against Georgia Tech.
That game against Georgia Tech was North Carolina's only win against a high-major foe, and it came by just three points at home against an awful Yellow Jackets squad.
The Tar Heels have also gone ice-cold from deep, shooting just 22.5% from the arc over their last four contests. Meanwhile, the Bruins have a 39.5 3PT% over their last four games and will get open looks since UNC is 330th in the country at allowing high-quality threes per ShotQualityBets.
The Tar Heels have been soft on D, sitting outside the Top 150 with 101.8 points allowed per 100 possessions. The Bruins will be able to get buckets when they need to and pull away for a win here.
UCLA vs North Carolina same-game parlay
UCLA -1.5
UCLA first-half moneyline
R.J. Davis Under 2.5 threes
The Tar Heels have lost to almost every quality team they've faced and tend to start extremely slow. They're just 1-5 against Quadrant 1 opponents and were down by at least eight points at the half in every game. If they find themselves trailing UCLA at half, they won't be able to shoot themselves back into the game against this elite defense.
R.J. Davis is the Tar Heel's best player, but the senior guard is a streaky shooter who has knocked down fewer than 2.5 threes in eight of his last 10 games. Davis has an ugly 25.3 3PT% this season and faces a UCLA team that holds opponents to 29.1% shooting from the arc.
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UCLA vs North Carolina odds
UCLA vs North Carolina live odds
UCLA vs North Carolina opening odds
- Spread: UCLA -1.5 | North Carolina +1.5
- Moneyline: UCLA -130 | North Carolina +110
- Over/Under: Over 150 | Under 150
Odds courtesy of bet365
UCLA vs North Carolina betting trend to know
The Tar Heels are just 1-6 ATS in their last seven games, while the Bruins are 7-2 ATS in their previous nine contests. Find more college basketball betting trends for UCLA vs. North Carolina.
How to watch UCLA vs North Carolina
| Location: | Madison Square Garden, New York, NY |
| Date: | Saturday, 12-21-2024 |
| Tip-off: | 3:00 p.m. ET |
| TV: | CBS |
UCLA vs North Carolina key injuries
Not intended for use in MA.
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