How and what to watch for Northwestern vs. UCLA in second round of 2023 NCAA Tournament

Another second-round matchup in the 2023 NCAA Tournament has been set for Saturday, March 18 as the No. 7 Northwestern Wildcats will battle the No. 2 UCLA Bruins. This West Region matchup will take place at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, CA, at 8:40 p.m. ET, and will be broadcast on TNT.

Once the odds from DraftKings Sportsbook are made available for this game, we’ll add that information below. We’ll also add the game time and TV channel once it’s settled.

Game date: Saturday, March 18
Game time: 8:40 p.m. ET
TV channel: TNT
Location: Golden 1 Center, Sacramento, CA

Spread: UCLA -8
Over/Under: 127.5
Moneyline: UCLA -380, Northwestern +310

No. 7 Northwestern (22-11, 12-8 Big Ten)

First Round: Defeated No. 10 Boise State 75-67
KenPom rating: 37 Overall, 100 Offense, 19 Defense
Leading scorer: Boo Buie, 17.1 ppg
Key stat of tournament: Northwestern never trailed in Round One, and is now 2-0 in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament after 118 seasons of college basketball.

Northwestern was able to pick up its second NCAA Tournament win in program history by triumphing over Boise State 75-67 on Thursday. This was a four-point game with just under six to play before the Wildcats were able to go on an 8-2 run to create separation for themselves. Boo Buie led with 22 points, five rebounds, and five assists in the win

No. 2 UCLA (30-5, 18-2 Pac-12)

First Round: Defeated No. 15 UNC Asheville XX-XX
KenPom rating: 3 Overall, 23 Offense, 1 Defense
Leading scorer: Jaime Jaquez Jr. 17.3 ppg
Key stat of tournament: Just 29.1% UCLA’s field goal attempts are three-pointers: 339th in the nation.

The Bruins ran away and hid from the Bulldogs early, jumping out to a 14-0 lead in the first three minutes and never looking back. Despite being without Jaylen Clark, the No. 1 team by KenPom adjusted defense ran away to an 86-53 win in the first round over UNC-Asheville.