UCLA Bruins vs North Carolina Tar Heels Prediction, 12/18/2021 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: UCLA Bruins vs North Carolina Tar Heels

Date: Saturday, December 18, 2021

Location: T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV

TV: CBS

The North Carolina Tar Heels (8-2) will try to defeat the UCLA Bruins (8-1) at T-Mobile Arena on Saturday.

The UCLA Bruins took the court against Marquette and took home the win by a score of 67-56 in their last game. UCLA ended having earned a 36.4% FG percentage (24 of 66) and made 9 of 24 3-point shots. From the free throw line, the Bruins made 10 of their 17 attempts for a percentage of 58.8%. Concerning getting rebounds, they earned 42 with 12 of them being on the offensive end. They also distributed 16 assists for this contest as well as forcing the other team into 11 turnovers and having 7 steals. When discussing the defense, UCLA allowed their opponent to shoot 33.3% from the field on 19 of 57 shooting. Marquette distributed 15 assists and had 7 steals for this game. On top of that, Marquette totaled 35 rebounds (7 offensive, 28 defensive), but wasn't able to record a block. Marquette finished the contest at 71.4% when shooting free throws by knocking down 10 of their 14 attempts. They converted 8 of 33 shots from beyond the perimeter. In relation to personal fouls, the Bruins finished with 13 while Marquette totaled 16 personal fouls.

Jaime Jaquez is a player who was a contributor in the game. He finished 43.8% from the field and recorded 2 dimes. He played 35 minutes and also pulled down 11 boards. He ended up with 24 points on 7 out of 16 shooting.

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UCLA enters this matchup with a mark of 8-1 this season. They are losing possession via turnover 9.0 times per contest and as a squad they are committing 14.5 personal fouls every game. As a unit, UCLA is pulling down 37.1 rebounds per game and has accounted for 144 assists so far this year, which is 145th in college hoops in terms of passing. The Bruins are connecting on 39.0% on shots from downtown (76 of 195) and 70.5% from the free throw line. They are averaging 73.0 pts per contest (162nd in the country) while going 45.4% from the floor.

On defense, the Bruins are forcing their opponents into 11.8 turnovers every game while drawing 16.0 fouls. They relinquish 32.5% on three-point shots while they are 26th in college hoops in points per game allowed (59.0). The Bruins are giving up a FG percentage of 42.0% (217 of 517) and they surrender 28.5 rebounds per game as a group. They currently rank 90th in college hoops in giving up assists with 110 conceded on the season.

The last time they took the court, the North Carolina Tar Heels walked away with a victory by a final of 74-61 when they played Furman. The Tar Heels collected 30 defensive boards and 12 offensive rebounds for a total of 42 in the game. They turned it over 8 times, while recording 3 steals for this game. Furman was called for 15 fouls in this contest which got the Tar Heels to the charity stripe for a total of 14 shots. They were able to bury 9 of the free throws for a rate of 64.3%. Pertaining to shooting from 3-point land, North Carolina knocked down 5 of their 16 tries (31.3%). At the conclusion of this game, the Tar Heels finished 30 for 60 from the field which gave them a percentage of 50.0%. The Tar Heels allowed Furman to make 24 out of their 60 attempts from the floor which had them at 40.0% in this game. They shot 30.3% from behind the 3-point line by going 10 out of 33 and walked away from this one shooting 3 out of 3 from the free throw line (100.0%). In relation to rebounds, North Carolina allowed Furman to snag 23 in total (4 on the offensive glass).

Dawson Garcia pitched in for the Tar Heels in this game. He made 7 of 12 in the game for a field goal rate of 58.3%, and added 10 rebounds. He racked up 20 points in his 32 minutes on the hardwood and tallied 3 assists for the game.

North Carolina has a mark of 8-2 this year. The Tar Heels are responsible for committing 14.6 fouls per game and they connect on 74.4% from the free throw line. Their rate of earning assists is at 15.0 times per contest (81st in college basketball) and they are turning it over 12.5 times per contest. North Carolina has scored 804 pts for the campaign (80.4 per game) and they collect 40.6 rebounds per game. As an offensive team, the Tar Heels are hitting on 48.3% from the floor, which is 34th in college hoops.

The North Carolina defense surrenders 32.3% on 3-pointers (80 of 248) and their opponents are making 69.7% of their shots from the free throw line. They have conceded 14.3 assists and 29.9 rebounds per game, which is ranked 299th and 24th in Division 1. The Tar Heels defensively are ranked 244th in D-1 in points per game surrendered with 70.9. They are able to force 10.1 turnovers per game and allow teams to shoot 43.1% from the floor (223rd in the country).

Who will win tonight's NCAA basketball game against the spread?

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take North Carolina

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