Gonzaga Basketball: 3 keys to beat UCLA Bruins in Sweet 16 matchup

3. Make Jaime Jaquez work for it on both ends of the court

Drew Timme has earned the right to be called the best player in this matchup. But the Pac-12 Player of the Year has a great case of his own in Jaquez, who leads UCLA with 17.5 ppg, 8.1 rpg and 2.3 apg. The 6’6 wing has remained one of the best two-way players in the country and the biggest improvement he’s made this year is being more consistent offensively, scoring in double figures in all but three games.

Jaquez has seen his scoring take a giant jump in the past month, scoring at least 16 points in 11 of the last 12 games. Without Clark around, he’s going to have to go for around 20 points to keep up with Gonzaga. The Bulldogs have a prime defender capable of causing him problems in the 6’8 Anton Watson. Jaquez is just a 32% three-point shooter and only has six total makes in the last eight games.

It’s a match that Gonzaga can benefit on that end. And on offense, it’s important to have a nice game from Julian Strawther, the second-best scorer on the team. Look for the Bruins to put Jaquez on him to slow Strawther down, which will be tough to do for all 40 minutes. And any foul trouble from him could be deadly for UCLA.

The Bulldogs frontcourt gives them an edge over most teams and if Strawther is making shots, that includes UCLA. It’s going to take a hurculean effort from Jaquez to get the win and if Gonzaga plays its cards right, can negate him enough to get the win and move onto the Elite 8.