No. 3 Gonzaga Bulldogs vs. No. 2 UCLA Bruins
Thursday, 9:45 p.m. ET, CBS
Borzello: The last time these teams met in the NCAA tournament, Jalen Suggs hit a 3 at the buzzer from just inside half court to send Gonzaga to the 2021 national championship game. This one should come down to the wire, too. For me, the difference is UCLA's defense. While Gonzaga has the best offense in the country, UCLA might be the best at the other end. The Bruins have more size and length to utilize against Drew Timme than TCU did. Meanwhile, I'm not sure Gonzaga will be able to stop Jaime Jaquez Jr., and I like the veteran experience of Tyger Campbell in a game like this.
Prediction: UCLA 75, Gonzaga 72
Gasaway: It's not often you get a rematch of two storied programs with many of the same leading players from two years ago. (These two teams also played a rather storied tournament game 17 years ago, of course.) The script's going to change this time, however. Instead of Gonzaga winning on a buzzer-beater it will be UCLA notching a close victory. The Bruins are a stronger, more talented and more seasoned version of the TCU team that just played the Bulldogs into the 40th minute. Drew Timme is a marvel but, for the first time in years, opponents have been making 2s against the Zags this season.
Prediction: UCLA 78, Gonzaga 72
Medcalf: Somebody should get Suggs a front-row seat for this one. The rematch! These two teams aren't as talented as those two were, but they're both excellent. This could be the game where the loss of Jaylen Clark, the Pac-12 defensive player of the year who suffered a season-ending Achilles injury in the Pac-12 tournament, has a significant impact on the Bruins. But Gonzaga doesn't have the defensive prowess to rattle Campbell and Jaquez Jr. can match anything Timme does. This should be a close, great game.
Prediction: UCLA 80, Gonzaga 76
Glad I picked against them. Always nice to wake up in the morning having correctly predicted a big game. remember when bruins tried to get Few as rheir coach and he turned it down? Man ucla just can’t beat that team