Must-see matchup: No. 14 Gonzaga and No. 22 UCLA resume entertaining series

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Dec. 27—INGLEWOOD, Calif. — There is probably no other team in the Mark Few coaching era at Gonzaga that has produced more dramatic outcomes than UCLA.

Regular season, March Madness, on each other’s home court or neutral sites, ranked or unranked, Gonzaga-UCLA almost always delivers, often with unforgettable conclusions.

The 14th-ranked Zags hold a 7-2 edge as they renew acquaintances with No. 22 UCLA at 1 p.m. Saturday at Intuit Dome, the sparkling new home of the Los Angeles Clippers.

“We’ve had an unbelievable history of games,” Few said. “Obviously, it’s UCLA, so it’s a good series for us. It’s certainly what TV wants to see, fans want to see. This year it’s another one of those high-level games that will help seeding and all that. It doesn’t hurt you in any way, shape or form.”

Here’s a quick recap. One of the biggest wins in Few’s first season as head coach was a 59-43 victory in December 1999 at Pauley Pavilion.

UCLA scored the last 11 points to stun the third-seeded Zags 73-71 in the 2006 Sweet 16, leaving Adam Morrison in tears in his final game. The Bruins edged GU 71-66 at the Kennel in 2015, but the Zags have dished out a lot of Bruins heartache each of the past four years.

Jalen Suggs’ bank shot from 40 feet decided GU’s 93-90 overtime win at the 2021 Final Four. Top-ranked Gonzaga hammered No. 2 UCLA 83-63 in Las Vegas the following season. Julian Strawther hit a clutch 3-pointer in his hometown of Las Vegas to fuel Gonzaga’s 79-76 victory in the 2023 Sweet 16. Anton Watson scored 32 points as GU held off UCLA 69-65 at the Maui Invitational last season.

Which brings us to Saturday and the obvious storyline: Gonzaga is the highest-scoring team in the country at 89.3 points. UCLA is seventh in scoring defense (59.8) and second in turnovers forced (18.4 per game).

“It’s going to be a really physical game, man,” said Few, using “really” three times for emphasis. “UCLA is playing really hard-nosed defense, keeping the score down, turning guys over, so that’s going to…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/must-see-matchup-no-14-030200279.html

Author : The Spokesman-Review, Spokane, Wash.

Publish date : 2024-12-28 03:02:00

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