These teams first met in 1999, and UCLA leads the series 3-2. They won the last meeting 71-66 in December 2015 in Washington. These teams last met in the tournament in 2015, and Gonzaga won by 12.
Zags Hitting on All Cylinders
Gonzaga is on a mission to be the first unbeaten team in 45 years, and they are 4-0 in the tournament, winning by an average of 24 points per game. They are 16-12-2 ATS this season with four covers in their last five games. Gonzaga has the nation’s top-ranked offense at 92.9 points per game and 55.3 percent shooting.
Gonzaga crushed another Pac-12 foe in USC 85-66 in the Elite 8, and the game wasn’t as close as the final score. Drew Timme scored 23 points as Gonzaga outrebounded the bigger Trojans by 12. Timme leads the Zags in scoring in the tournament, just ahead of Corey Kispert.
On the season, Timme and Corey Kispert both average 19 points per game, while freshman Jalen Suggs is at 13.9. Joel Ayayi is also in double digits at 11.9, while Andrew Nebhard is at 9.2 to finish out Mark Few’s starting lineup. Suggs is averaging 4.8 assists per game in March.
Bruins Rely on Defense
UCLA is in the Final Four for the first time since 2008 and just the second team ever to make it this far from the First Four. UCLA is 17-14 ATS this season and 6-3 as the underdog. They average 72.6 points per game and shoot 46.3 percent from deep.
The Bruins limited No. 1 Michigan to 39 percent shooting and kept the Wolverines from making a bucket in the final five minutes of the game. In the Sweet 16 round, they shut down Alabama in the overtime period to upset the No. 2 seed. UCLA held Abilene Christian to 47 points in the second round and BYU to 62 in the first round.
UCLA’s offense was all about Kentucky transfer Johnny Juzang against Michigan as he scored 28 of their 51 points. Juzang is averaging 22.4 points per game in the tournament run and 14.1 on the season. Jaime Jaquez averages 12.4 ppg while Jules Bernard, Tyger Campbell, and Cody Riley are all between 10 and 11 per game.
Betting Analysis
Gonzaga has scored at least 83 points in the tournament. A number UCLA has not hit in regulation since January 14. Before the tournament, the Bruins lost five straight games in the Pac-12 and fell twice to USC in February. Unless Gonzaga plays their worst game of the year and UCLA their best, it’s tough to see the Zags season-ending here
Free Pick: Gonzaga
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