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

5. UCLA needs to receive more offensive production

This is, obviously, more of a defensive test for UCLA than an offensive one.  If the Bruins hope to make this an up-and-down track meet, they will get blown out from the opening tip – but if they grind this out and force their tempo, they have a shot at pulling off the upset.  That means their defense – which has shown to be effective and deadly in this tournament – will be the key to victory.

Whether it actually happens is a longshot, but UCLA has proven that it can shock the world.  The Bruins will need a near-perfect showing, however, and that begins with having more players step up and produce on the offensive end, an area where UCLA has been inconsistent throughout the entire season, let alone the NCAA Tournament.

Look no further than the Alabama and Michigan games for proof of this.  In the overtime win over the Crimson Tide, a whopping six different Bruins logged double-digits – with the most being 17 from Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Jules Bernard.  Those six players combined for 85 of UCLA’s 88 points, with the five starters amassing 70 of those 88.

But just days later, only two players reached double-figures against the Wolverines, with Johnny Juzang pouring in a game-high 28 points and Tyger Campbell providing 11 – meaning those two combined for 39 of UCLA’s 51 points.  Bernard, Jaquez, and Cody Riley, meanwhile, scored just four points apiece, making up the missing 12 points – meaning UCLA received no scoring from its bench.

That absolutely cannot happen against a Gonzaga team that ranks first in the nation in scoring offense and efficiency.  It is not out of line to believe that, even if the Bruins play a perfect defensive game, the Zags can still cross the 70- or 80-point threshold – meaning the Bruins need all hands on deck to stand a chance against the Bulldogs’ offensive onslaught.

Again, UCLA’s chances – on paper – appear slim.  But the Bruins have proven that they can knock off some of college basketball’s finest already in this tournament, and it was not that long ago that the Bruins were being blown out in the First Four by Michigan State – only to reverse the tables and carve their way to the Final Four.  Crazier things have happened in the NCAA Tournament – and the Bruins may have the pieces to hang around with the undefeated Bulldogs.