North Carolina Tar Heels vs UCLA Bruins NCAA Basketball Betting Pick & Prediction 12/21/24

Planning on watching today’s Tar Heels and Bruins game? Catch the action at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY, as the Bruins hosts this showdown at 3:00 ET on CBS. The odds for this non-conference game currently have UCLA as the -1.5 favorite, with the over/under line sitting at 150.5 points.

NORTH CAROLINA TAR HEELS VS UCLA BRUINS BETTING PICK

The Pick: UCLA Bruins -1.5

This game will be played at Madison Square Garden at 3:00 ET on Saturday, December 21st.

WHY BET THE UCLA BRUINS:

• We have this one finishing with a projected score of 75-72 in favor of the Bruins.
• Not only will UCLA pick up the win, but look for them to cover at -1.5.
• The over/under is currently sitting at 150.5 points, and we like the under with a projected 147 points.

Will the North Carolina Defense Show Up on the Road?

North Carolina fell to 6-5 on the season after a 90-84 home loss to Florida on Tuesday. The Tar Heels were +3.5 point underdogs and failed to cover the spread. The game’s total points of 174 exceeded the O/U line of 167.5.

UNC trailed 46-34 at halftime but made a push in the 2nd half, scoring 50 points while allowing 44. Despite the strong offensive effort after the break, the Tar Heels couldn’t close the gap.

North Carolina put up 84 points in their latest game, shooting 45.8% from the field. Their effective field goal percentage was 50%, thanks largely to their 63.6% shooting on two-pointers. However, they struggled from beyond the arc, hitting just 5 of 28 attempts for a 17.9% success rate.

RJ Davis led the way with 29 points and 8 rebounds, shooting 52.6% overall and 27.3% from three. Will Richard added 22 points, making 8 of 10 shots, including 3 of 5 from deep. The Tar Heels had 13 offensive rebounds and 10 assists in the game.

North Carolina’s defense struggled, giving up 90 points on 45% shooting from the field. They allowed the opponent to connect on 63% of their two-point attempts, with 28 made shots inside the arc.

The Tar Heels did better defending the three, holding the other team to 17% shooting, with just 5 threes made. They also sent them to the line 19 times, where they hit 13 free throws.

Is a Home Win Possible for the Bruins?

UCLA improved to 10-1 on the season with a dominant 111-75 win over Prairie View A&M on Tuesday. The Bruins, heavy favorites at -34, covered the spread in this one.

UCLA led 53-36 at halftime and continued to pour it on in the 2nd half, outscoring the Panthers 58-39. The game’s total points of 186 went well over the pre-game O/U line of 146.5.

UCLA’s offense was firing on all cylinders in their latest game, scoring 111 points with a 59% shooting rate from the field. Their effective field goal percentage was an impressive 67.2%, as they connected on 65% of their two-point attempts (26/40) and 47.6% from beyond the arc (10/21). They also excelled at the free-throw line, hitting 78.4% (29/37) of their attempts.

Jordan Tillmon led the way with 24 points, hitting 6 of 7 threes (85.7%), while Dylan Andrews added 21 points and 6 assists, shooting 75% from deep (3/4). The Bruins dished out 26 assists as a team, with Kobe Johnson contributing 7 assists to go along with his 12 points.

UCLA’s defense struggled in their previous game, giving up 75 points on 59% shooting from the field. The Bruins allowed their opponents to connect on 36 of 61 attempts.

Inside the arc, UCLA’s defense gave up 26 two-point baskets on 40 attempts, a 65% success rate. From three-point range, their opponents hit 10 of 21 shots, shooting 47%. UCLA also sent their opponents to the free-throw line 37 times, where they made 29 free throws, shooting 78%. The Bruins allowed 12 offensive rebounds.