in NCAA B Articles

UCLA will have a distinct advantage on the perimeter with Aaron Afflalo and Brandon Rush. The battle of the number two and three seeds is going to be a clash of style indeed.

UCLA’s offense has been a bit of a mystery in the tournament. While their defense was able to shut Indiana down to 49 points (13 in the first half) and Weber State to 42 points, the Bruins only managed an average of 62 points in each game. They will need to return to the vicinity of their usual 71.8 point per game average to stand a chance against Pittsburgh.

The Bruins will have their hands full with Aaron Gray and the Panthers on Thursday night. Gray and Levon Kendall will be throwing their muscle around on the inside all night against the Bruins, who do not have any big men worth mentioning in print. This will cause defensive nightmares and foul trouble for the Bruins, while the Panthers offense continues to roll on.

The Bruins have not shown much flash in this tournament. They certainly do not look like anything like last year’s darling team. Look for Pittsburgh to apply the pressure to the perimeter, causing the Bruins field goal percentage to drop considerably, as their big men take care of business down low.

Bet on the Panthers to take the upset against the high-seeded Bruins in this matchup.

Thursday, March 22nd --- HP Pavilion, San Jose --- 9:40pm EST

NCAA Basketball Free Pick: Pittsburgh 72 UCLA 66
Result: Pittsburgh 54 UCLA 65

Ringo’s Tournament Record: 17-7

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