A pair of West Coast college basketball powerhouses go head-to-head Saturday when the Gonzaga Bulldogs (9-3) take on the UCLA Bruins (10-2) at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California.
The game will air nationally on Fox at 1 p.m. PT/4 p.m. ET as part of the 2024 West Coast Hoops Showdown.
The Zags look to close out the 2024-25 nonconference slate on a high note after taking care of business last week with comfortable wins over Nicholls (102-72) on Dec. 18, followed by Bucknell (86-65) on Dec. 21 at the McCarthey Athletic Center.
Senior forward Graham Ike led the way against the Bison, as the 6-foot-9 All-WCC forward finished with 25 points and 10 rebounds for his third double-double of the season. It was also his third 20-point performance in his last four contests.
While Ike technically paces his team in scoring, the offensive attack has been well-balanced for Mark Few and company so far this season. Six players average double figures in scoring, as the Zags rank No. 1 in the country in scoring offense at 89.2 points per game. That average would rank second all-time in program history behind the 2020-21 squad.
Conversely, the Bruins have stifled their opponents on the offensive end of the floor. UCLA is top 10 in the country in scoring defense and adjusted efficiency according to KenPom, while also forcing a nationwide-best 18.4 turnovers per game.
With that in mind, the latest installment of the budding Gonzaga-UCLA rivalry pits a well-oiled machine on offense against a rock-solid defensive unit on the other side. Saturday marks the fifth season in a row that the Bulldogs and Bruins will go to battle against one another on a neutral court. The Zags have won the previous four head-to-heads and are 7-2 all-time against the Bruins.
Here is a look at Gonzaga and UCLA by the numbers.
Gonzaga’s offense vs. UConn’s defense
Adjusted efficiency
Gonzaga: 124.6 (3rd in the country according to KenPom)
UCLA: 91.6 (4th)
Scoring
Gonzaga: 89.2 points (1st)
UCLA: 58.4 points (7th)
Effective field goal percentage
Gonzaga: 55.8% (41st)
UCLA: 45.8% (38th)
3-point field goal percentage
Gonzaga: 34.8% (117th)
UCLA: 29.6% (47th)
3-pointers made/allowed per game
Gonzaga: 8.0 (t-145th)
UCLA: 6.3 (39th)
2-point field goal percentage
Gonzaga: 57.8% (32nd)
UCLA: 46.8% (63rd)
Turnovers per game
Gonzaga: 9.8 committed (t-26th lowest)
UCLA: 18.4 forced per game (most in country)
Assists per game
Gonzaga: 19.5 (4th most)
UCLA: 11.6 allowed (77th fewest)
Gonzaga’s defense vs. UCLA’s offense
Adjusted efficiency
Gonzaga: 96.1 (24th)
UCLA: 113.7 (60th)
Scoring
Gonzaga: 69.4 points (107th)
UCLA: 78.4 points (t-77th)
Effective field goal percentage
Gonzaga: 46.1% (42nd)
UCLA: 54.3% (65th)
3-point field goal percentage
Gonzaga: 25.9% (2nd)
UCLA: 35.8% (80th)
3-pointers allowed/made per game:
Gonzaga: 6.5 allowed (t-53rd lowest)
UCLA: 7.3 made (t-221st)
2-point field goal percentage
Gonzaga: 51.0% (181st)
UCLA: 54.6% (91st)
Turnovers per game
Gonzaga: 12.8 forced (t-137th most)
UCLA: 11.3 committed (t-96th fewest)
Assists per game
Gonzaga: 11.8 allowed (t-84th fewest)
UCLA: 16.7 (38th most)
Rebounding
Total rebounds per game
Gonzaga: 40.8 (17th)
UCLA: 34.4 (215th)
Offensive rebounds per game
Gonzaga: 9.4 (142nd)
UCLA: 10.0 (t-99th)
Defensive rebounds per game
Gonzaga: 27.3 (11th)
UCLA: 21.3 (273rd)
Extra scoring opportunities per game
Gonzaga: 5.6 (30th)
UCLA: 9.3 (6th)
Free throws
Free throws attempted per game
Gonzaga: 21.3 (105th)
UCLA: 20.7 (120th)
Free throw percentage
Gonzaga: 81.2% (7th)
UCLA: 68.5% (270th)
Leading scorers
Graham Ike (6-foot-9 R-SR), Gonzaga: 15.5 points, 65-for-115 (56.5%) from the field, 52-for-69 (75.4%) from free throw line, 4-for-10 (40.0%) from 3-point range
Tyler Bilodeau (6-foot-9 JR), UCLA: 15.1 points, 70-for-137 (51.1%) from the field, 25-for-37 (67.6%) from free throw line, 16-for-37 (43.2%) from 3-point range
Lead playmakers
Ryan Nembhard (6-foot-tall SR), Gonzaga: 10.2 assists (1st in country) to 2.2 turnovers per game; 11.8 points, 44-for-102 (43.1%) from the field, 39-for-45 (86.7%) from free throw line, 14-for-35 (40.0%) from 3-point range
Kobe Johnson (6-foot-6 SR), UCLA: 3.6 assists to 1.6 turnovers per game; 7.1 points, 30-for-71 (42.3%) from the field, 17-for-25 (68.0%) from free throw line, 8-for-31 (25.8%) from 3-point range
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