NCAA Tournament Predictions: 2. UCLA vs. 15. UNC-Asheville
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2. UCLA (29-5, 18-2/Pac-12)- Is it possible for a Blue Blood like UCLA who earned a No. 2 seed to be … underrated? It sure feels like not enough people are considering the Bruins a national title contender, despite the fact that they won the Pac-12 championship, and finished third in NET rating. Not to mention, UCLA has an experienced group that’s made deep runs in the Tournament each of the past two seasons.
In 2021, Mick Cronin’s squad miraculously went from the First Four to the Final Four, and the team followed that up with a Sweet 16 appearance last season. Two familiar faces from those squads remain in Jaime Jaquez Jr. (17.3 ppg, 8.1 rpg),Tyger Campbell (13.6 ppg, 4.7 apg) give UCLA a talented, experienced lineup.
UCLA has thrived on both ends this season, but especially defensively, no surprise for Mick Cronin-led group. The Bruins finished the year 33rd in defensive rating, 33rd in opponents points per game, and 14th in scoring margin.
UCLA may be getting less attention due to the overall lack of depth in the Pac-12, or maybe it’s just due to the fact that they play on the west coast. One legitimate knock on UCLA this season is that they failed to acquire any true marquee wins, with their top wins in the non-conference coming against mid single-digit seeds in Maryland and Kentucky.
Still, this is a group that should be taken seriously. UCLA is a talented, well-coached, veteran group who defends well and has multiple playmakers. Watch out.
15. UNC-Asheville (27-7, 16-2/Big South)- The Bulldogs were the clear-cut class of the Big South this season, winning 27 games and mowing through the league at 16-2. They’ll enter the NCAA Tournament having won 18 of 19 games. Sure, the Big South isn’t exactly the SEC, with only four of its ten members having posted winning overall records on the season, but a team that is used to winning can be dangerous come March.
Asheville can cause problems with matchups inside, thanks in large part to 6-10 senior Drew Pember, a Tennessee transfer who dominated the Big South, averaging 21.2 points and 9.4 rebounds per game this season. Pember almost single-handedly willed the Bulldogs to the NCAA Tournament, posting 31 points in the conference tournament semis and 29 in the championship game, both four-point wins. There’s not a lot of scoring depth behind him, but senior guard Tajion Jones does put up 15 points per game.
PREDICTION: UCLA
