Must-see matchup: No. 14 Gonzaga and No. 22 UCLA resume entertaining series

INGLEWOOD, Calif. – There is probably no other team in the Mark Few coaching era at Gonzaga that has produced more dramatic outcomes than UCLA.

Regular season, March Madness, on each other’s home court or neutral sites, ranked or unranked, Gonzaga-UCLA almost always delivers, often with unforgettable conclusions.

The 14th-ranked Zags hold a 7-2 edge as they renew acquaintances with No. 22 UCLA at 1 p.m. Saturday at Intuit Dome, the sparkling new home of the Los Angeles Clippers.

“We’ve had an unbelievable history of games,” Few said. “Obviously, it’s UCLA, so it’s a good series for us. It’s certainly what TV wants to see, fans want to see. This year it’s another one of those high-level games that will help seeding and all that. It doesn’t hurt you in any way, shape or form.”

Here’s a quick recap. One of the biggest wins in Few’s first season as head coach was a 59-43 victory in December 1999 at Pauley Pavilion.

UCLA scored the last 11 points to stun the third-seeded Zags 73-71 in the 2006 Sweet 16, leaving Adam Morrison in tears in his final game. The Bruins edged GU 71-66 at the Kennel in 2015, but the Zags have dished out a lot of Bruins heartache each of the past four years.

Jalen Suggs’ bank shot from 40 feet decided GU’s 93-90 overtime win at the 2021 Final Four. Top-ranked Gonzaga hammered No. 2 UCLA 83-63 in Las Vegas the following season. Julian Strawther hit a clutch 3-pointer in his hometown of Las Vegas to fuel Gonzaga’s 79-76 victory in the 2023 Sweet 16. Anton Watson scored 32 points as GU held off UCLA 69-65 at the Maui Invitational last season.

Which brings us to Saturday and the obvious storyline: Gonzaga is the highest-scoring team in the country at 89.3 points. UCLA is seventh in scoring defense (59.8) and second in turnovers forced (18.4 per game).

“It’s going to be a really physical game, man,” said Few, using “really” three times for emphasis. “UCLA is playing really hard-nosed defense, keeping the score down, turning guys over, so that’s going to be a real physical challenge, much like the UConn game.”

The Bruins (10-2) reeled off nine consecutive wins, including road wins over Oregon and Washington and a comeback victory over Arizona in Phoenix, before blowing a 16-point lead in the final 13 minutes of a 76-74 loss to North Carolina last Saturday.

Still, it’s been a solid nonconference season for the Bruins, who hold foes to 39.8% shooting, including 29.6% on 3-pointers, both inside the top 60 nationally. Seven UCLA opponents have scored 60 points or fewer.

“It’s always a rumble, man,” Gonzaga senior guard Nolan Hickman said. “It’s always a good time playing against UCLA. All my guys are looking forward to it.”

North Carolina’s 76 points were the most yielded by UCLA this season.

“It has a Mick Cronin-feel to it,” Few said of the Bruins’ defense.

Cronin is in his sixth season guiding UCLA. He’s led the Bruins to three NCAA Tournaments and his latest edition appears to be much stronger than last year’s 16-17 crew.

UCLA’s top two scorers are transfers: Forward Tyler Bilodeau (Oregon State) averages 15.1 points and Eric Dailey Jr. (Oklahoma State) is next at 10.8.

The guard line is strong with sophomore Sebastian Mack, who averages 10.3 points in 20.7 minutes off the bench, and junior starting point guard Dylan Andrews contributes 8.9 points and 3.0 assists. USC transfer wing Kobe Johnson chips in 7.1 points and a team-leading 3.6 assists.

Louisville transfer guard Skyy Clarke has averaged 10 points and hit six 3-pointers in the past three games.

Former Gonzaga guard Dominick Harris, who joined the Bruins after one season at Loyola Marymount, hasn’t carved out consistent playing time. Harris, one of the nation’s top 3-point shooters last season, is just 2 of 18 from distance. He has scored 12 points in 70 minutes.

UConn held the Zags to a season-low 71 points with its physical defense.

“We always feel great going into a game because we know who we are and how much work we put into it,” GU senior forward Graham Ike said. “We know it’s going to be a physical matchup and it’s probably going to be a good game. We just have to give it our hardest and best effort.”