NFL Tickets
TV Schedule: Saturday, Dec. 19, 1:00 p.m. ET, CBS
Arena: Barclays Center, Brooklyn, NY
Line: North Carolina (-7)
The No. 11 North Carolina Tar Heels enter the 2015 CBS Classic confident in their abilities as one of the best teams in the nation, but wary of their opponents, the No. 22 UCLA Bruins.
UNC are coming off a disappointing loss to a once elite college basketball program, the Texas Longhorns. UCLA, a past college basketball powerhouse, upset both the Kentucky Wildcats and the Gonzaga Bulldogs, proving that they are a legitimate threat to the top teams in college basketball.
That being said, the Tar Heels need a win on Saturday to prove that the loss to Texas was a fluke, while UCLA need a big win to prove to the nation they are more than just upset specialists.
The Bruins have snuck into the top 25 after their wins over the Wildcats and the Bulldogs, but the way they are winning tells much more about this team than their 8-3 record. This UCLA squad is not blowing out weaker opposition, but continues to find a way to win late in games and boast wins over four different teams who are expected to make the 2016 NCAA tournament. UCLA doesn’t look like the type of team that will win the PAC-12 regular season title, but looks exactly like the type of team that could get hot late in the season and win it all.
North Carolina is a better all-around team than UCLA, as they have shown throughout this season, but I’m calling an upset in Brooklyn. The Tar Heels fall to the Bruins behind the inside game of Tony Parker and Thomas Welsh in what could be a preview of a future Final Four matchup.
Prediction: UCLA 74, North Carolina 72
Taylor Sturm is a Featured Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @TSturmRS, like him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.
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