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The UNC Asheville Bulldogs take on the UCLA Bruins. Check out our March Madness odds series for our UNC Asheville UCLA prediction and pick. Find out how to watch UNC Asheville UCLA.
The UCLA Bruins were the best team in the Pac-12 this season, winning the conference by several games over Arizona and USC. It wasn't remotely close. People will say that Arizona beat UCLA two times in three meetings, but let's realize that in the third meeting — which occurred in the final of the Pac-12 Tournament this past Saturday — UCLA lacked defensive stopper Jaylen Clark, the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year, plus star freshman big man Adem Bona, who got hurt against Oregon in the Pac-12 semifinals the day before. UCLA was down two core rotation players with big-time defensive chops. The Bruins frankly should have been blown off the floor. Instead, they played Arizona on even terms in a game which was always close. The two teams went down to the wire, with Arizona's Courtney Ramey hitting a late 3-pointer for the lead. UCLA got the final possession of the game. Dylan Andrews had a wide-open 3-pointer on the left wing to win the game for the Bruins, but the shot was off target.
UCLA came within one shot of beating Arizona despite lacking two elite defensive players. That's how good the Bruins are, and they know that while Clark is done for the season, Bona is expected to return for the NCAA Tournament. We will see how the Bruins handle their March Madness journey without Jaylen Clark.
Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the UNC Asheville-UCLA March Madness odds.
March Madness Odds: UNC Asheville-UCLA Odds
UNC Asheville Bulldogs: +17.5 (-110)
UCLA Bruins: -17.5 (-110)
Over: 135.5 (-115)
Under: 135.5 (-105)
How To Watch UNC Asheville vs. UCLA
TV: TruTV
Stream: CBSsports.com, March Madness app, fuboTV
Time: 10:05 p.m. ET, 7:05 p.m. PT
*Watch UNC Asheville-UCLA LIVE with fuboTV (Click for free trial)*
Why UNC Asheville Could Cover the Spread
The Bulldogs can take advantage of UCLA lacking Jaylen Clark in this game. UCLA is almost certain to win the game outright, but not having Clark certainly makes the Bruins a less effective, less imposing team. Asheville star Drew Pember averages 21 points and 9 rebounds per game. He could have a big day against UCLA, and if he does, it's unlikely that the Bruins will cover the very large spread in place for this game. Not having Jaylen Clark pushes other, less proven, less polished players into coach Mick Cronin's rotation. That might produce just enough uncertainty in UCLA's performance to enable Asheville to stay somewhat close in this contest.
Why UCLA Could Cover the Spread
Even with Jaylen Clark and Adem Bona missing from the game, you still saw how well UCLA played defense against Arizona in the Pac-12 Tournament championship game. Mick Cronin won't allow this team to slack off at the defensive end of the floor. UCLA can get offense from Jaime Jaquez, the Pac-12 Player of the Year, to create matchup headaches UNC Asheville can't deal with. UCLA can get offense from other sources as well and overcome its limitations in this first-round NCAA Tournament game.
Final UNC Asheville-UCLA Prediction & Pick
UCLA's defense is so tough, but picking UCLA with Jaylen Clark out feels like a real risk. When key injuries exist, there's nothing wrong with taking a pass on a game and waiting for a better play to emerge in a different game.
Final UNC Asheville-UCLA Prediction & Pick: UNC Asheville +17.5
