Here’s a look back on Gonzaga basketball’s history with UCLA
This is the eighth time the teams have faced each other and the fourth time in the tournament.
LAS VEGAS – One of the things that makes March Madness so entertaining is the storylines. It’s the excitement, the Cinderella stories, and the rivalries. There’s certainly no shortage of storylines between Gonzaga and UCLA. This is the eighth time the teams have faced each other and the fourth time in the tournament.
The anticipation for this game has gone through the roof.
It’s the shot that’s fresh in the minds of basketball fans across the country.
Jalen Suggs hits a 40-foot buzzer in overtime in the Final Four to push the Bulldogs past the Bruins and propel Gonzaga to his first-ever National Championship game.
However, to understand the history between the two teams, one has to go back to 1999.
Long before the Bulldogs were a national powerhouse, the team went to Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles for a preseason game and stunned the Bruins by beating them at 16.
The two teams have met a total of seven times, three times in the tournament. Of these pairings, Gonzaga has won five. UCLA was the winner twice
But one of those Bruins wins is one of the most painful losses in GU basketball history.
17 years ago, the teams competed against each other in the Sweet 16. Gonzaga was the big favorite behind the nation’s top scorer Adam Morrison. The Bulldogs extended a 17-point lead and lost to UCLA by 2 points. The excitement caused Morrison to burst into tears and GU nation was stunned.
Nine years later, in 2015, the Bulldogs were out for revenge when the teams met again at the Sweet 16. This time, the Bulldogs overcame UCLA, beating it by 12 points behind solid performances from Przemek Karnowski and Domantas Sabonis.
In their last duel early last season, Gonzaga easily beat the Bruins by 20.
Which brings us to this year’s match-up. UCLA #2, Gonzaga #3.
This time they will face off at the Sweet 16. UCLA is hoping to get past the Suggs buzzer beater. The Bulldogs want to prove they’re the best team in the west.
The Thursday that the teams were scheduled to play each other marks 17 years to the day that UCLA upset Gonzaga in the Sweet 16.
There’s a reason they call it March Madness, and we’ll have to wait to see that shake up. The sports world is watching.
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https://www.king5.com/article/sports/look-back-history-gonzaga-ucla-thursdays-sweet-16-matchup/293-2517cf0d-23d1-4058-b098-aab51dfb0699 Here’s a look back on Gonzaga basketball’s history with UCLA
