UCLA Basketball will look to pull off all-time upset over Gonzaga

1. UCLA must dominate the pace and grind it out

Saturday’s duel will feature two teams of drastically opposing styles of play – one that ranks among the fastest in college basketball, and another towards the bottom of the list.

Per KenPom, the Zags maintain the sixth-fastest tempo in the nation, with an offensive that allows for over 74 possessions per game and takes just 14.3 seconds off the shot-clock.  It should come as no surprise, then, that the Bulldogs rank 41st in field goal attempts, getting up 61.8 per game – and draining a nation-best 33.9, which has translated to Gonzaga’s deadly offense that averages 91.6 points.

By contrast, the Bruins play one of the slowest paces, checking in at 338th with just 64.0 possessions per game.  Taking 18.9 seconds off the shot-clock before the end of a possession, UCLA’s slow style translates to fewer shots, where the Bruins take nearly four fewer shot attempts at 57.9 and knockdown 26.5.  Both marks rank below 100 nationally, a glaring comparison to Gonzaga’s efficient marks.

None of this should be shocking, given the final results in the NCAA Tournament.  Excluding UCLA’s pair of overtime stanzas, the Bruins have failed to reach the 80-point mark in all five of their tournament wins and needed overtime to cross 80 points in the wins over Michigan State and Alabama.  Contrarily, however, Gonzaga – who have not had an overtime game yet this tournament, let alone all season – have scored over 80 points in all four of their tilts.

Slowing Gonzaga down and forcing the Bulldogs to play a slow game is the only way the Bruins can keep up – and potentially have a shot at pulling off the upset.  That begins with point guard Tyger Campbell, who has been solid in dictating pace and supplying consistent scoring for UCLA in the tournament, with marks of 8.8 points and 4.0 assists in 31.0 minutes per game.

It will be a daunting task, to say the least.  The Bulldogs have only scored under 80 points on three occasions this season – while the Bruins have surpassed that mark just eight times.  On top of that, Gonzaga’s four tournament games have consisted of performances with 72.0 possessions per game – while UCLA’s five games have seen the Bruins reach an average of 63.4 possessions.