WCC play is starting this weekend, but Gonzaga Basketball still has one non-conference game. They take on a familiar face in the UCLA Bruins, a program they’ve had some memorable recent matchups with. They’re ranked in the top 25 and have overachieved compared to preseason expectations.
The Bruins are probably the best team the Bulldogs will face this season, making this an important neutral-site matchup before league play gets going. Here are some keys for Gonzaga to win.
1. Big game from Nolan Hickman
In the loss to UConn, Hickman went scoreless in 12 minutes, arguably the worst game in his college career. UCLA’s perimeter defense is even better; it is ranked in the top 5 in kenpom and allows teams to shoot under 40% from the field. Even for an elite scoring offense like Gonzaga, made field goals will be hard to come by. Even if Khalif Battle comes through, the Bulldogs could use a double-digit scoring outing from Hickman to take the pressure off of Ryan Nembhard.
2. Win the minutes when Tyler Bilodeau is out
UCLA’s top scorer is Bilodeau, who averages over 15 ppg on the season and is coming off a 26-point outing in 24 minutes versus UNC. He plays around 26 mpg so there’s a 14-minute stretch where William Kyle or Aday Mara is at the five-spot, which is a significant downgrade. If Graham Ike and Bilodeau offset each other, Braden Huff’s impact off the bench could be the difference-maker in a close game, especially if the team struggles on the perimeter.
3. Get to the FT line
One strength of Gonzaga’s is that they’re a top-10 FT shooting team at 81%. Battle leads them with 93% from the charity stripe. It’s an important note because the Bulldogs have struggled from deep, and if the Bruins' defense slows them down, they’ll need to find ways to make some points.
A bigger key may be for Gonzaga to simply be aggressive and not settle for only jumpshots or force things inside. But if the guards for UCLA don’t foul or the refs call it, the physical nature of the game will be in their favor. We’ll see if they can find a way to get around 80 points, a key number if they want to win.