If you’re a fan of free flowing offense, there may not be a more entertaining game in this year’s Sweet 16 than Gonzaga and UCLA. Both the Bulldogs and Bruins can light up the scoreboard, as evidenced by their previous meeting this year, which the Zags won 87-74.
Steve Alford’s group is a different team now than it was then, having found their chemistry mid-way through Pac-12 play. Of course, it isn’t like Gonzaga stopped improving either.
Each team will have five guys on the floor at any given time with the ability to knock down shots. UCLA’s Bryce Alford can certainly fill it up himself, but his willingness to defer to scorers like Norman Powell and Isaac Hamilton has been a major development for the Bruins. On the other side, Kyle Wiltjer is still a matchup nightmare for opposing defenses while Kevin Pangos can lull defenses to sleep with his deferential approach before assaulting them from beyond the arc.
With all that firepower on the perimeter, it’s easy to forget that this game may very well be decided underneath the basket.
UCLA certainly has the advantage in length and width, with starters Kevon Looney and Tony Parker both being legitimate double-double threats on any given night. Then, when either gets tired, Alford can bring in former McDonald’s All-American Thomas Welsh–standing at a true seven-feet–to buy them a few minutes of rest.
Gonzaga’s size with Przemek Karnowski and Domantas Sabonis allows Wiltjer to float between the interior and perimeter, but all three pose problems for the UCLA defense.
