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The brackets have aligned for two of the most prestigious basketball schools to face off in the Sweet 16 with both having aspirations of cutting down the nets this year. With the 2nd and 3rd seeds in the Western region of the bracket still alive, UCLA and Gonzaga will battle on Thursday at 9:45 EST on CBS.
Both teams rank in the top seven for odds to win the entire NCAA Tournament, and whichever of them comes out on top will be making a statement.
UCLA has a veteran squad headlined by Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Tyger Campbell. They will be hungry for revenge after coming up short against Gonzaga in the Final Four in 2021. The duo combine for 30.9 points per game and are at the core of everything the Bruins do.
As a team, they average 74.1 points per game while holding opponents to just 60.2 per game, which is the 6th-best rate in the nation. Defensively, the Bruins also hold teams to the 20th best field-goal percentage in the country.
They do not attempt a lot of three-pointers on the offensive end, shooting the 333rd most in the country, but have a well-balanced attack where they can score in a variety of ways.
Gonzaga also has a veteran squad and is playing some impressive basketball. They most recently took down TCU in a hard-fought win after cruising past Grand Canyon University in the opening round.
The Bulldogs are led by Drew Timme, who averages a team-high 21.1 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.0 blocks per game. Julian Strawther is adding 15.3 points and 6.3 rebounds per game as well.
As a team, Gonzaga ranks first in the country in scoring at 87.3 points per game. They also have the best field-goal percentage at 52,.6%, rank 14th in assists with 16.4 per game, and have the 11th-best three-point percentage at 38.7% as a team. Defensively, they rank 17th in blocks, 28th in steals and 35th in rebounding.
Gonzaga vs UCLA Prediction
UCLA opens the game as a two-point favorite but this matchup may truly be a toss-up. It will be a battle between UCLA's defense and Gonzaga's high-powered offense, with both teams sure to be prepared.
The only way this game will become a blowout is if Gonzaga comes out red-hot with their shooting, but it seems destined to come down to the wire. There will be a ton of emotions flowing as a number of successful college careers will come to an end with this matchup regardless of the result.
While there are plenty of reasons to believe in Gonzaga, UCLA still edge the matchup.
Defense tends to win out in these high-pressure matchups and, as dynamic as Drew Timme is, much more can be done in terms of planning against a post-oriented player compared to the guard-led unit of UCLA. Take the Bruins to get the job done and continue a deep tournament run.
