Tar Heels vs Bruins Odds & Picks: North Carolina Has Won 5 Straight Vs UCLA

The No. 8-seeded North Carolina Tar Heels (26-9 SU, 18-16-1 ATS) are a perfect 5-0 SU and ATS in their last five games against the fourth-seeded UCLA Bruins (27-7, 18-15-1). The Tar Heels will try to make their way into the Elite Eight as the winning Tar Heels vs Bruins prediction in Philadelphia on Friday night.

Tar Heels vs Bruins Odds & Analysis

Sportsbook Odds

The Bruins opened as 3-point favorites in this East Region matchup, but North Carolina proved to be a popular enough Tar Heels vs Bruins prediction to move the line down to UCLA -2. The total in this Sweet 16 matchup has settled in at 141.5 points after Sportsbook at 142.5 points. The OVER is 6-2 in UCLA’s last eight games.

Get the best Tar Heels vs Bruins odds and lines available from our recommended sportsbooks for your favorite picks of the night.

North Carolina’s Offense Is Red-Hot

The Tar Heels sent the defending NCAA Tournament champions home early with a 93-86 overtime win over the Baylor Bears in the Round of 32. All three of North Carolina’s big three contributed as R.J. Davis scored 30 points, Brady Manek netted 26 points and Armando Bacot had 15 points and 16 rebounds.

North Carolina blew a 25-point lead and lost Manek to an ejection against the Bears but managed to overcome all of that for the victory.

This group is 8-1 SU and 7-2 ATS over its last nine games in a stretch that includes upset wins over Virginia Tech, Duke and now Baylor. The Tar Heels have scored at least 88 points in four of their last six games and are averaging 94 points per game through the first two games of the NCAA Tournament.

UCLA’s Defense Will Face A Tough Test vs North Carolina

Most basketball fans were expecting a close game between the Bruins and the Saint Mary’s Gaels in the Round of 32 with UCLA closing as only a 3-point favorite. Instead, the Bruins rolled to a comfortable 72-56 victory. Four different Bruins scored at least 14 points in what was a balanced effort on both offense and defense.

UCLA’s defense has allowed only 54.5 points per game through the first two rounds of the tournament. The Bruins are 7-1 SU and 5-3 ATS over their last eight games and have given up an average of 63.3 points per game over that stretch. The one blemish during that run came in an 84-76 loss to the Arizona Wildcats in the Pac-12 championship game.

Bettors taking UCLA as their Tar Heels vs Bruins prediction will be looking for another strong effort from the Bruins on defense.

Tar Heels vs Bruins Pick & Insights

Tar Heels: Keys To Cover

North Carolina may not get away with another late-game collapse like the one it had against Baylor before getting back on track to secure the victory. The Tar Heels are good enough to win this game as a Tar Heels vs Bruins prediction, but they’ll likely need to produce a full 40-minute effort against this very solid UCLA squad.

Bruins: Keys To Cover

This is a strength vs strength matchup as North Carolina’s excellent offense faces UCLA’s shutdown defense. If UCLA is able to win that battle, its offense should be able to do enough to help the Bruins cash in as a Tar Heels vs Bruins prediction on Friday.

Odds Shark’s Computer Tar Heels vs Bruins Prediction: Bruins -3

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