UNC Asheville vs. UCLA Bracket Prediction: March Madness Odds
The Bulldogs make their first appearance at March Madness since 2016 as the No. 15 seed in the West after rolling to the top of the Big South standings with a 16-2 record in conference play, and maintained their recent winning ways during their march to the Big South Tournament title. The Bruins were awarded the top seed in the West after claiming their first Pac-12 regular season title in 10 years, compiling an 18-2 record in conference play. However, UCLA fell short in their bid for the Pac-12 conference title, falling 61-59 to Arizona in their first loss in 13 contests.
As expected, the Bruins open their March Madness schedule as heavy betting chalk, favoured by 18 points. The Bulldogs are listed as a distant +1059 bet on the moneyline, while total for Thursday’s contest is pegged at 135.
UNC Asheville vs. UCLA NCAA Tournament Point Spread and Betting
Thursday night’s matchup at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento marks the first ever meeting between these teams.
The Bulldogs have made four previous appearances at the Big Dance, twice earning in a berth into the Round of 64 with First Four victories in 2003 and 2011. However, they have failed to advance any further than the First Round in four tries, capped by a crushing 86-56 loss to Villanova as a No. 15 seed back in 2016.
The Bruins have been a fixture at march Madness, appearing in 27 of the past 32 editions of the NCAA Tournament, with their lone national championship win over that stretch coming back in 1995. UCLA has earned the win in 10 of 11 opening-round appearances, and is just two years removed from an appearance in the Final Four. However, they have failed to cover in their past two First Round dates when pegged as double-digit chalk.
UNC Asheville Bulldogs (15)
The Bulldogs dominated the Big South on the court this season, but produced streaky results at the sportsbooks, going just 17-15 against the spread and failing to cover in each of their three victories at the Big South Tournament. UNCA sports a stingy defence that has limited opponents to 66 of fewer points in six of their past seven. However, this team has also shown impressive upside while averaging 75 points per game, and their 39% conversion rate on three-point attempts ranks seventh in the nation. Drew Pember has powered the attack. The senior big man ranked 14th in the nation with 21.2 points per game, and was also 27th in the nation with 9.4 rebounds per game.
UCLA Bruins (2)
Bruins fans dreaming about a return to glory were brough back to Earth by UCLA’s stunning upset loss to Arizona in the Pac-12 Tournament title game. While that loss has contributed to the Bruins’ dip to a +834 bet on the national championship odds, UCLA fans should have little concern about this team righting the ship against the Bulldogs. The Bruins saw six of their previous 12 wins come buy double digits, and after allowing just 60.3 points per game they are deservedly sit atop the rankings in adjusted defensive efficiency at Kenpom. While the offence remains securely in the hands of leading scorer, the only concern facing UCLA is the uncertain status of freshman big man Adem Bona, who is recovering from a shoulder injury that sidelined him in last weekend’s loss to Arizona. Bona has played a big role in the Bruins’ return to national championship contention. He averaged 5.4 boards this season, and produced his first career double-double in last week’s 80-69 quarterfinal win over Colorado.
UNCA
UCLA