UNC basketball vs UCLA: Score prediction, scouting report for CBS Sports Classic

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UNC basketball has five losses before Christmas for the first time since 2019.

Coming off a loss to No. 7 Florida (11-0), the Tar Heels (6-5, 1-0 ACC) are in desperate need of a big win before flipping the calendar to 2025.

UNC, which is 0-4 against ranked teams through 11 games, will head to New York City to play No. 18 UCLA (10-1) on Saturday (3 p.m., CBS) in the CBS Sports Classic at Madison Square Garden.

Ironically enough, the Tar Heels were 6-5 in the 2019-20 season before meeting — and beating — the Bruins in Las Vegas. UNC is 11-3 in the all-time series against UCLA, including six straight wins.

UNC is 30-12 at “The World’s Most Famous Arena.” Here are some other things to know and a score prediction for the latest meeting between the Tar Heels and Bruins.

Elliot Cadeau, UNC basketball turnovers vs UCLA defense

Tennessee, Duke and Houston are the only teams in the nation with a better defensive efficiency rating than UCLA, according to KenPom.com. The Bruins are fourth in scoring defense (56.8 points per game), second in turnovers forced per game (18.4) and No. 1 in turnover rate (27.1%).

In its first four games, UNC led the nation in taking care of the ball, with an average of 7.8 turnovers per game. But the Tar Heels have moved in the opposite direction since that point, averaging 12.6 turnovers across their last seven games. Elliot Cadeau, UNC’s point guard, had seven turnovers combined in the first four games. He averaged 4 turnovers in the last seven games.

UNC’s bad defense vs UCLA’s ho-hum offense

UNC’s offense is playing at the third-fastest tempo in the nation, which is the highest in the Hubert Davis era. That means more offensive possessions, but it also means more scoring opportunities for the opponents. The Tar Heels have allowed at least 90 points in five of their first 11 games. That happened six times across Davis’ first three seasons. Simply put: the Tar Heels have to be much better defensively to have a chance against ranked teams. UCLA…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/unc-basketball-vs-ucla-score-090354832.html

Author : The Fayetteville Observer

Publish date : 2024-12-20 09:03:00

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