The No.11-seeded UCLA Bruins (20-12) and No.14-seeded UAB Blazers (16-15) meet in the third round of the NCAA tournament at KFC Yum Center – Louisville, KY. Action begins at 12:10 pm ET on Saturday, Mar. 21.
The Bruins come into this game hoping to repeat their last performance, barely hanging on to beat Southern Methodist 60-59 in the second round. Bryce Alford was the game’s leading scorer with 23 points on 7-for-10 shooting. The Blazers, meanwhile, are coming off a 60-59 win against Iowa State in the second round. Nick Norton had a team-high 17 points.
This is the second game of the year between these two teams, with the Bruins winning the first matchup 88-76. Norton had a standout performance with 17 points, four rebounds, five assists, two steals, one block, and five three-pointers in the loss.
UCLA is a seven-point favorite against UAB and the Over/Under (O/U) for this game is unavailable as of now. The Bruins come into this game 21-13 Straight Up (SU) and 18-16 Against The Spread (ATS). Over their last 10 games, they have had success covering the spread (7-3). Teams usually don’t get many offensive rebounds against the Bruins, who are one of the top defensive rebounding teams in the country with an average of 25.8 defensive rebounds per game.
Over on the other bench, the Blazers have a record of 18-13-1 ATS and 20-15 SU. The Blazers convert their free throws at a high percentage, ranking 19th in the nation at .747. Shifting to the other side of the court, blocking shots is an area where UAB has excelled. The Blazers average 5.3 blocks per game, making them one of the best in the nation.
The Bruins’ win over UAB in their last game bumped their SU record to 1-0 over UAB. With a 1-0 record, the Blazers have the advantage ATS.
Predictions: SU Winner – UCLA, ATS Winner – UCLA
Notes
On average, UCLA has 68.1 possessions per game and scores 1.061 points on each possession. UAB has both fewer possessions (68.1) and scores fewer points during those possessions (1.015).
UAB has an average effective field goal percentage of 47.4%. UCLA is a winning 11-7 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
On average, the UCLA Bruins attempt 17.3 three point field goals per game and the UAB Blazers attempt 16.4. In games where they attempt at least 20 threes, UCLA has a 4-3 record and UAB has a 3-4 record.
UCLA ranks 78th in the nation with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.18. UAB is ranked lower at 161st with an A/TO of 1.03.
UCLA, the 19th-ranked team in rebounding, registers an average of 38.2 rebounds per game. UAB ranks 66th with 36.5.
UCLA ranks 35th in defensive rebounding. When it comes to offensive rebounds, UAB ranks 65th.
UAB has forced an average turnover percentage of 30.5% this season. UCLA is a winless 0-1 SU when its TO% is 30.5% or higher.
