UCLA vs. North Carolina Sweet 16: How to Watch, Game Info, Betting Odds
It isn't exactly the 1968 national championship game, but Friday night will mark the next chapter in the long history between the Bruins and Tar Heels when they face each other in the Sweet 16 a whole 54 years later.
WHO: No. 4 UCLA vs. No. 8 North Carolina
DATE: Friday, March 25
TIME: 6:39 p.m. PT
LOCATION: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA
TV: CBS – Ian Eagle (play-by-play), Jim Spanarkel (analyst), Jamie Erdahl (sideline)
STREAMING: fuboTV – Get 7-day Free Trial
RADIO: AM 570, Sirius Ch. 135, XM Ch. 202, SXM App Ch. 965 – Josh Lewin (play-by-play), Tracy Murray (analyst)
SPREAD: UCLA -2.5 (-110), North Carolina +2.5 (-118)*
MONEY LINE: UCLA (-150), North Carolina (+120)*
OVER/UNDER: O 142 (-110), U 142 (-118)
UCLA is the No. 13 overall seed in the NCAA tournament, while North Carolina is No. 30. In the final AP poll, UCLA was No. 11 and North Carolina was In the receiving votes section at No. 32.
The latest KenPom ratings have the Bruins at No. 8 and the Tar Heels at No. 22, while the NET Rankings slot UCLA in at No. 10 and North Carolina at No. 31.
UCLA came into the tournament sitting at 25-7, featuring notable wins over Arizona, Villanova, Marquette and USC. Losses to Arizona State and Oregon set the Bruins back in February, but both of those defeats came on the road and their only home loss this year came when fans were not allowed in the stands due to COVID-19 restrictions.
The Pac-12 tournament provided UCLA a chance to beat Washington State and USC in Las Vegas before losing to Arizona in the championship game. In the Round of 64, UCLA narrowly escaped with a 57-53 win over No. 13 seed Akron after trailing for most of the night, then pulled away from No. 5 seed St. Mary's in the Round of 32 for a 72-56 victory.
The Bruins are averaging 75.7 points per game and allowing 64.2. UCLA boasts the best scoring defense and second-best scoring offense in the Pac-12 while also being in the top three in the nation in limiting their turnovers at just 9.0 per game.
Guard Johnny Juzang is UCLA's top scorer with 15.7 points per game, while guard/forward Jaime Jaquez Jr., guard Jules Bernard and guard Tyger Campbell are averaging 14.0, 12.7 and 11.8 a night, respectively. Campbell has the most assists per game with 4.2, Jaquez has the most rebounds per game with 5.7 and center Myles Johnson is shooting a team-best 62.0% from the field.
Jaquez is currently day-to-day with a sprained right ankle, an injury he has sustained several times this season and most recently in the second half of the St. Mary's game.
UNC entered March Madness 24-9, far beyond where they projected to be through the first three months of the season. The Tar Heels opened at 12-6, but with losses to Purdue, Kentucky, Tennessee, Notre Dame, Miami (FL) and Wake Forest, they were unable to rise to tournament-level competition early on.
Four wins in a row to end the regular season – capped off by an upset over Duke in coach Mike Krzyzewski's final home game – and an ACC tournament win against Virginia sent North Carolina into the NCAA tournament on a high note which they rode into wins over No. 9 seed Marquette and No. 1 seed Baylor.
North Carolina was up by as much as 25 points against the Bears, but blew the lead and was forced to close things out in overtime.
The Tar Heels are averaging 78.5 points per game and allowing 71.8. As one of the top scoring, rebounding and free throw shooting teams in the nation, North Carolina is well-balanced in its best traits, even if it is prone to turnovers often.
Center Armando Bacot leads the Tar Heels with 16.4 points, 12.5 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game, anchoring his team on both ends of the floor. North Carolina brings more size to the table in forward Brady Manek, who also stretches the floor as a 39.5% 3-point shooter.
Guards Caleb Love and RJ Davis also average over 13 points per game while long wing Leaky Black brings additional athleticism to the table as the final member of the starting five.
Cronin is now in his 19th season as a head coach, and he has an all-time record of 433-200 with 13 NCAA tournament appearances across stints at Murray State, Cincinnati and UCLA. Hubert Davis, who was previously an assistant for North Carolina for the better part of the last decade, is in his first year at the helm of any program.
The Tar Heels are coming off 18 years of Roy Williams, who won 485 games in Chapel Hill and guided his team to five Final Fours and two NCAA titles.
UCLA has played North Carolina 13 times since 1950, holding a 3-10 record in the all-time series. The Tar Heels have won five in a row dating back to 2000, but the Bruins beat them in the 1968 national championship game.
*Odds via SI Sportsbook
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