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

UCLA Basketball: 3 keys to beating Gonzaga Bulldogs in Sweet 16 matchup

Apr 3, 2021; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Gonzaga Bulldogs forward Anton Watson (22) shoots the ball against UCLA Bruins guard Jaime Jaquez Jr. (4) during the first half 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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UCLA Basketball guard Dylan Andrews Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports /

Which role player steps up?

How do you replace Jaylen Clark? On defense, you can’t. And I do feel like his defense will be missed, espeically helping on Timme. But, on offense some of UCLA’s freshman guards have emerged as of late. Since Jaylen Clark went down, Amari Bailey has been in double figures four of five games.

His ability to get to the rim and create shots is super important for this team that can get overreliant on Jaquez. Dylan Andrews has seen a seen slight minutes increase too, and his two-way play becomes even more important now. One of these two will need to have a big game, and they can against a suspect Gonzaga defense.

Jaime Jaquez has been a force as of late. And they know Tyger Campbell will take care of the ball and hit some shots, and David Singleton will space the floor. But, the two freshman guards are the highest variance players on offense and one of them will need to emerge for the Bruins to win.

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