For the sixth-straight year, the Gonzaga Bulldogs and the UCLA Bruins will face off in what has been one of the more oddly entertaining west coast rivalries of the past decade.
It got off with a bang (or a banked shot) by Jalen Suggs in overtime of the Final Four in 2021. Is this sentence an excuse to embed what is arguably one of the greater shots in March Madness history? You bet it is!
The Zags upped the ante in the following season. Theoretically, a No. 1 Gonzaga vs. No. 2 UCLA non-conference matchup should’ve been one of the best games of the year. It turned into a 20-point blowout by Gonzaga. Let the Mick Cronin tears commence.
In a 2023 Sweet 16 grudge match, the Zags and the Bruins traded baskets back and forth until Julian Strawther decided to pull a Dame Lillard-deep logo shot. Once again, I drink the Cronin tears as an digestif.
In the next season, Anton Watson churned out one of the best stat lines from his illustrious career as a Zag, finishing with 32 points off 14-of-15 shooting as Gonzaga narrowly edged the Bruins in the Maui Invitational, 69-65. Serve me up those Cronin tears alongside a plate of loco moco.
That brings us to last season, where finally, just finally, UCLA finally was able to pull out a win over Gonzaga. Granted, it took a bit of help from the referees, but the Bruins finally have a win in the 2020s against Gonzaga.
This year? Gonzaga is favored, but only a fool will take that as any sort of solace heading into a game night. Gonzaga and UCLA have played too wild of games over the decade for anyone to have truly an idea how this will transpire.
Meet the UCLA Bruins
7-2, KenPom #30
Let’s talk about the main dude: Donovan Dent. Cronin went out and got the New Mexico transfer who was one of the top guards in the transfer portal. Dent is a guy who we all know can drop 20 points at will, but so far, that has not happened in a UCLA uniform. Although Dent is still drawing contact (5.4 fouls drawn per 40 minutes), virtually every single shooting statistic has dropped significantly from his junior season. eFG% 36.7 from 51.5. One-for-13 from three vs. 26-for-65. 2P% of 40.7 vs. 50.1. Still, with the drop, the guy is a baller and he will take a lot of shots.
Kennewick-born and bred senior forward Tyler Bilodeau is having himself a nice season, leading the Bruins in scoring with 15.6 points per game. He is efficient at the hoop and especially from the line (88.9% from FT!!!). While he isn’t the best defender, he is a load in the post that will also put a bit of potential foul pressure on the Gonzaga bigs.
Senior guard Skyy Clark is the major Bruins outside shooting threat. He is hitting 51.4 percent from three this season and averaging 12.7 ppg. He recently hit 6-of-7 from long range to help take down the Washington Huskies and is someone the Zags will have to always keep an eye on out on the perimeter.
The four factors
| Gonzaga O | Gonzaga D | UCLA O | UCLA D | |
| eFG% | 57.9 (22) | 43.4 (13) | 54.4 (78) | 47.5 (73) |
| TO% | 14.1 (27) | 21.2 (34) | 16.3 (117) | 20.6 (52) |
| OR% | 38.0 (28) | 24.1 (13) | 35.4 (71) | 32.1 (210) |
| FTA/FGA | 27.8 (321) | 36.5 (188) | 36.0 (174) | 31.2 (94) |
What to watch out for
Run the offense.
UCLA’s defense used a zone to eke out a win over Washington and overall it isn’t half bad. There is just one major issue–the Bruins are awful at actually stopping an opponent’s offense. Opponents notch an assist on 59.8 percent of all made field goals, good for No. 318 in the country.
When the Gonzaga offense gets going, it is hard to stop–especially for a team like UCLA, whose tempo ranks No. 331 in the country. If Gonzaga can leap out to an early lead, UCLA is going to have a hard time covering the gap.
Destroy them on second-chance points.
UCLA is not a good rebounding team. They grab their fair share of offensive boards but they are not the best defensive rebounding team. This plays pretty heavily into Gonzaga’s favor. The Zags attack the offensive glass beyond their bigs, with Tyon Grant-Foster and Jalen Warley often getting in the mix. If the Zags own the advantage on second-chance points, once again, it’ll be hard for the UCLA offense to keep up.
Don’t get complacent with a lead.
In general, games against UCLA have ended closer than most of us would like. The Bruins have two losses this season–eight points to Cal (which isn’t as bad as it sounds) and four points to Arizona, currently the No. 1 team in the nation.