UNC Basketball vs. UCLA: Game preview, info, prediction and more
The UNC basketball program continues their NCAA Tournament journey with a Sweet 16 battle against UCLA on Friday night.
“We don’t want our journey to end.”
That’s what UNC basketball standout Armando Bacot had to say when asked about the Tar Heels mentality heading into the Sweet 16.
North Carolina has been one of the most impressive teams through two rounds of the NCAA Tournament. The Tar Heels kicked off the tournament with a 32-point record-setting victory over Marquette, and proceeded to upset No. 1 seed Baylor in the Round of 32.
Next up for the UNC basketball program is UCLA in the Sweet 16. It’s a matchup that could benefit the Tar Heels, as they’ve had a lot of success against the Bruins over the last 20 seasons.
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Heading into Friday night’s matchup, North Carolina has won each of the last five battles between the two programs. The Tar Heels are also winners of 9 of the last 10, as the Bruins have not defeated North Carolina since 2000. Additionally, North Carolina has the highest winning percentage (.769) against UCLA of any team that has played them10 or more times.
Although the past success is nice, it will play no factor in this upcoming matchup. Needless to say, the Tar Heels have aspirations to advance much deeper into this tournament.
Key to Victory
UCLA tends to play with a smaller lineup. Their starting unit typically features four guards alongside one forward, as they tend to rely on a smaller rotation.
The Bruins do have some size on their roster, but a smaller lineup typically tends to favor the Tar Heels.
North Carolina relies heavily on big men Armando Bacot and Brady Manek, and the trend should continue in this one. The key for the Tar Heels will be whether they can get these guys involved early and often, as these are mismatch opportunities that the Tar Heels need to exploit.
Something to Watch
In order to advance to the Sweet 16, North Carolina desperately needed production from their bench. Luckily, the likes of Justin McKoy, Puff Johnson and Dontrez Styles stepped up, as they were called upon for significant minutes that they typically aren’t asked to fill.
We’ll see how much Hubert Davis needs to rely on his bench in this one, but it will be interesting to see what type of production the Tar Heels get from their reserves. North Carolina hopes that their starters can play their typical minutes, but a little boost off the bench once again would definitely improve their chances of winning the game.
Last Matchup
In their most recent matchup on December 21, 2019, the Tar Heels defeated the Bruins 74-64 in Las Vegas. The win gave North Carolina their fifth consecutive win over UCLA, and marked the ninth time over the last ten contests that the Tar Heels have come out victorious.
Freshman Armando Bacot led North Carolina with 15 points and 12 rebounds. The Tar Heels forced the Bruins to turn the ball over 22 times, which was a major key to the victory.
Projected Starting Lineup
No. 4 R.J. Davis (So., 6-0, 175) – 13.5 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 3.7 apg
No. 2 Caleb Love (So., 6-4, 195) – 15.3 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 3.7 apg
No. 1 Leaky Black (Sr., 6-8 200) – 5.0 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 2.8 apg
No. 45 Brady Manek (Sr. 6-9, 230) – 15.1 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 1.9 apg
No. 5 Armando Bacot (Jr., 6-10, 240) – 16.4 ppg, 12.5 rpg, 1.7 bpg
What You Need to Know
WHAT? North Carolina Tar Heels (26-9, 15-5 ACC) vs. UCLA Bruins (27-7, 15-5 Pac-12)
WHEN? Friday, March 25, 9:39 p.m. EST
WHERE? Wells Fargo Center- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
TV? CBS
RADIO? Tar Heels Sports Network
LINE? UCLA -2.5
LAST MEETING? UNC defeated UCLA 74-64 on December 21, 2019 in Las Vegas
ALL-TIME SERIES? UNC leads series 10-3
PREDICTION? UNC 81, UCLA 76
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