UCLA Welcomes Gonzaga To Pauley Pavilion …And Hope They Leave Without Completely Annihilating Them

Dessert is over for the UCLA Bruins as they have finished chomping on cupcakes. Aside from the Battle 4 Atlantis, the Bruin’s game at Pauley Pavilion on Saturday December 13 against the #9 Gonzaga Bulldogs will be their toughest yet. After that, the Bruins get into the meat and potatoes of their schedule as they follow this game up with contests against Kentucky, at Alabama, at Utah and at Colorado. One good thing we can expect is a full(er) Pauley that will be loud for their Bruins as they give their all taking on Gonzaga. If not, there will at least be a lot of people there to see a valiant effort and a big Bulldog win.

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Records: Gonzaga (8-1), UCLA (8-2)

Tip-Off: 7 p.m. PT

Location: Pauley Pavilion, Los Angeles, CA

TV: ESPN2

Radio: KLAC AM 570 (Los Angeles)

On-line: TuneIn

Tickets: uclabruins.com

Betting Line: Gonzaga -5.0

Preview: The Bruins will be the third Pac-12 team in a row that Gonzaga will play as the Bulldogs lost a nail-biter to Arizona a week ago and bounced back with an 81-66 thrashing of Washington State on Wednesday. Needless to say, this is a well-oiled machine that could cause a lot of trouble for the Bruins. Not only are all of the Bulldog’s starters averaging double figure scoring (like UCLA), four of them are pulling down at least 5 rebounds a game (unlike UCLA).

Dec 6, 2014; Tucson, AZ, USA; Gonzaga Bulldogs forward Kyle Wiltjer (33) jogs up court during the second half against the Arizona Wildcats at McKale Center. Arizona won 66-63 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Casey Sapio-USA TODAY Sports

Junior forward Kyle Wiltjer is leading Gonzaga in scoring with 16.4 points per game. Byron Wesley (12.1 ppg), Domantas Sabonis (11.2), Kevin Pangos (10.4) and Przemek Karnowski (10.0) are also dangerous when they are on the floor. Additionally, the Bulldogs have a deep bench that can produce points as Gary Bell Jr. and Angel Nunez are giving Gonzaga five or more per game. Josh Perkins is another Bulldog that was collecting 5.0 ppg, but that was before he was sidelined with a broken jaw he received in Gonzaga’s win over Georgia.

Wiltjer, Wesley and Pangos are all excellent with the ball in their hands, especially Pangos who has a team-high 5.4 assists per game. Down low, Sabonis and Karnowski (who are averaging 5.7 and 7.1 rebounds a game respectively) are big, take up a lot of space and are very agile. Aside from North Carolina, this will be the biggest front court the Bruins have gone up against. UCLA is 11th in the nation with 43.1 rebounds, but might be in jeopardy against the Bulldogs down low.

Dec 10, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins forward Kevin Looney (5) shoots the ball against the UC Riverside Highlanders at Pauley Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The Bruins have some big men of their own who are pulling down a ton of rebounds. Freshman Kevon Looney is sixth in the nation in that category with 11.2 per game. Junior center Tony Parker has also been big under the basket with his 8.1 rebounds per game. In UCLA’s last game against UC Riverside, Parker had one of his better games as he got a double-double with 16 points and 16 rebounds.

Speaking of double-double, Looney is the only Bruin that is averaging a double-double. To go with his 11.2 rebounds, he is adding 13.9 points per game. If there is something the Bruins can do, it is score. Like Gonzaga, their starting line-up is also averaging points in the double digits. Norman Powell (17.9), Bryce Alford (17.5), Parker (11.4) and Isaac Hamilton (11.0) have all shown they can put the ball through the net, but it is when they run dry that is the problem.

In the last two games, UCLA has had to comeback from halftime deficits to take down lesser opponents. The two problems that are plaguing the Bruins right now are slow starts and defense, which you can guarantee Gonzaga will try to exploit.

The Bulldogs have chemistry and talent that will allow them to start quick and have long scoring runs throughout the game. Their potent offense, which is 10th in the nation with 84.4 points per game, should have no trouble against the Bruins defense, which is basically Norman Powell. The Bruins are not great at defending shots from behind the arc and have essentially allowed opponents to shoot on them at will. If Gonzaga gets a hot hand, it could be curtains for the Bruins very early in the game.

Prediction: Gonzaga 87 – UCLA 72

FYI, here is a little snippet from the last time UCLA and Gonzaga played, enjoy.