Mark Few’s Gonzaga Bulldogs score more points than any team in Division I. Mick Cronin’s UCLA Bruins are seventh in the country in points allowed and fourth in adjusted defensive rating. Saturday’s style clash of ranked West Coast squads makes for compelling weekend TV, and it marks the debut of college basketball at the newly constructed Intuit Dome.
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How to watch No. 22 UCLA vs. No. 14 Gonzaga
Gonzaga is a scoring machine, ranking third in both Basketball Reference’s simple rating system and KenPom’s offensive efficiency. Senior Ryan Nembhard is a consummate floor general — he’s averaging 10.2 assists, which would be the highest per-game mark in college basketball since Southern’s Avery Johnson in 1987-88. Nembhard is smooth in the pick-and-roll and contorts action around screeners to open up passing lanes. When the jumper is falling, he’s a nightmare to go against.
But the offense isn’t just Nembhard. Graham Ike, Braden Huff and Ben Gregg are all averaging double-digit scoring on better than 50 percent shooting. Ike is microwavable post offense, putting up more than 15 points per game on fewer than 19 minutes of floor time. This formidable Gonzaga iteration is deep, with five players averaging between eight and 10 shots a game, and it seldom turns the ball over. If this dynamic offense has any weaknesses, it’s a comparatively underwhelming 3-point game. Even there, Seattle native and four-year Bulldog Nolan Hickman is balling out as a secondary option — he’s hit 47 percent of his treys across his last 10 games.
This will be Gonzaga’s first tough opponent since dropping back-to-back games against Kentucky and UConn earlier this month.
UCLA’s opponents are shooting a paltry 29.6 percent on 3s and averaging more than 18 turnovers per outing.
While this game will be a step up in class for the Bruins defense, they have the talent to meet the moment. Kobe Johnson was a two-time all-conference defender at USC, and he’s looked like a natural fit in blue and gold. With a team-leading 2.3 steals per game and the best defensive rating among regulars, Johnson is a game-changer when locked in.
The Bruins may wince looking back at last weekend’s two-point loss to North Carolina, but Tyler Bilodeau was fantastic on the Madison Square Garden stage. The junior forward had 26 points and was 5-of-6 from behind the arc. Through a dozen games, Bilodeau leads the starting lineup in scoring, points produced, PER and offensive win shares.
Saturday’s showdown is billed as the West Coast Hoops Showdown. Although it’s officially a neutral-site meeting, Inglewood is just 12 miles from UCLA’s Brentwood campus and 1,200 miles from Spokane.
Best head-to-head moments
- 2006: In a Sweet Sixteen thriller for the ages, UCLA completed its furious comeback to beat Gonzaga, 73-71. The Bruins trailed by 13 points at halftime and were down nine with less than four minutes to go. The subsequent chaos launched Brent Howland’s team on a national final run and left Adam Morrison despondent on the floor.
- 2021: In another all-timer, these two gave us an overtime Final Four duel, tied at 90 with time expiring?! Cue Jalen Suggs.
UCLA vs. Gonzaga odds
(Photo of Ryan Nembhard: Luke Hales / Getty Images)
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