Gonzaga Basketball: 3 keys to beat UCLA Bruins in No. 1 vs 2 matchup

Apr 3, 2021; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Jalen Suggs (1) shoots the game winning shot against UCLA Bruins guard David Singleton (34) during overtime in the national semifinals of the Final Four of the 2021 NCAA Tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports /

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Gonzaga Basketball guard Jalen Suggs UCLA Bruins Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports /

One of the best games in recent college basketball memory was when Gonzaga Basketball took on the UCLA Bruins in last year’s Final Four. It looked like a mismatch on paper with the unbeaten and No. 1 overall seed Bulldogs versus an 11-seeded team from the Pac-12 that could’ve easily lost to Michigan State in the “First Four” round.

Instead, it became an instant classic and beautiful game to watch. Both teams were making plenty of shots throughout the night yet the defense was never bad. It went to overtime and more back-and-forth scoring for five more minutes before a Jalen Suggs halfcourt three-pointer broke the hearts of Bruin fans everywhere.

Ever since that game, there was hope that both teams would come back and have a “rematch” of sorts this season. And after rumors and news, it was official that Gonzaga and UCLA would meet in Las Vegas for a neutral site battle. Both teams will play on Monday against Central Michigan and Bellarmine the night before as a “warmup”, both are expected to win by double-digits.

We’ve already seen these top two teams play against top-5 competition at home, passing their respective tests. Gonzaga easily beat No. 5 Texas, thanks to a career-high 37 points from Drew Timme. UCLA needed overtime to get past a hot-shooting Villanova squad but Johnny Juzang once again came through on offense with a game-high 25 points.

While most of the players who participated in last season’s epic clash are back, there are some newcomers that could make this a completely different game. So besides not allowing the Bruins to shoot 70% from mid-range again, what does Gonzaga Basketball need to do to win this game?

Here are some keys I came up with.