UCLA goes from brilliant to broke as history cruelly repeats itself vs. Gonzaga
LAS VEGAS — Not again. Not again. Not again.
Two years later, another deep Gonzaga shot.
Two years later, another desperate UCLA stare.
Two years later, another dagger.
This can’t keep happening, can it? Gonzaga can’t keep beating UCLA in the final seconds of an NCAA tournament game with a swish out of nowhere, can it?
Believe it. Accept it. Curse it.
With six seconds left in their Sweet 16 matchup Thursday at T-Mobile Arena, after the Bruins had fought back from a second-half collapse to take a one-point lead, Gonzaga’s Julian Strawther hit a 35-foot jumper to steal an unbelievable win, smother a raucous crowd, and stoke the sorriest of memories.
UCLA goes from jubilation to utter disappointment in Sweet 16 loss to Gonzaga
LAS VEGAS — From on top of the college basketball world to deflated, momentarily back on top only to be heartbroken once more.
There couldn’t have been a bigger swing of emotions than UCLA experienced Thursday night at T-Mobile Arena against a most aggravating antagonist.
The Bruins lost a 13-point lead to Gonzaga early in the second half of their NCAA tournament West Regional semifinal, falling behind by 10. They stormed back, surging ahead by one point on Amari Bailey’s fearless three-pointer with 12.4 seconds left.
Only to be undone by another dagger shot through the heart.
Two years after Jalen Suggs, there was Julian Strawther.
Trailing his teammates, Strawther took a flip pass from Hunter Sallis and buried a 35-footer with six seconds left to lift third-seeded Gonzaga to a breathless 79-76 victory over the second-seeded Bruins.
UCLA’s season ends in a heartbreaking Sweet 16 loss to Gonzaga
🏀 Gonzaga 79, UCLA 76 — FINAL
Gonzaga’s Julian Strawther made a three-pointer from about five feet beyond the top of the arc with seven seconds left to send UCLA to a heartbreaking loss in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament.
UCLA held a 13-point halftime lead before Gonzaga surged in the second half behind Drew Timme and Malachi Smith. Gonzaga will play Connecticut in the Elite Eight on Saturday.
UCLA managed to take a one-point lead with 12.4 seconds left when Amari Bailey made a three-pointer, but Strawther’s quick response gave the Bulldogs their third win in three seasons over the Bruins.
Gonzaga star Drew Timme scored 36 points and had 13 rebounds. Strawther finished with 16 points.
Jaime Jaquez Jr. finished with 29 points and 11 rebounds to cap a memorable career with the Bruins. Bailey finished with 19 points and Tyger Campbell had 14.
UCLA takes one-point lead on Amari Bailey three-pointer
🏀 UCLA 76, Gonzaga 75 — 12.4 seconds left in the second half
Amari Bailey made a three-pointer with 12.4 seconds left in regulation to give the Bruins a one-point lead. The Bruins have gone on a 14-3 run since trailing by 10 points with two and half minutes left.
UCLA makes it a two-point game with 25 seconds left
🏀 Gonzaga 75, UCLA 73 — 25 seconds left in the second half
UCLA is not giving up. Jaime Jaquez scored on a layup and was fouled on the play, allowing UCLA to make it a three-point play. Then, after Gonzaga made a free throw, Jaquez scored again to make it a two-point game.
UCLA has the momentum going its way, but can it force Gonzaga into a mistake?
Gonzaga in control late; can the Bruins respond?
🏀 Gonzaga 68, UCLA 62 — 4:07 left in the second half
The Bulldogs continue to dominate the boards and is finding more success offensively against a UCLA team that has not scored from the field in nearly eight minutes.
Can the Bruins turn things around? They’re running out of time.
Drew Timme has 35 points for Gonzaga, which has outscored UCLA 18-0 in the second half on second chances off the glass.
Jaime Jaquez leads UCLA with 21 points and 11 rebounds.
Gonzaga takes the lead as UCLA struggles on offense and the boards
🏀 Gonzaga 61, UCLA 59 — 7:45 left in the second quarter
UCLA’s depth was a major concern coming into the game, and the short bench is creating problems for the tired-looking Bruins.
Malachi Smith’s jumper with 9:10 left in the second half capped an 18-5 run to give Gonzaga its first lead since the opening minutes of the game.
The Bulldogs are dominating on the offensive boards and benefiting from more foul calls on the Bruins.
Gonzaga star Drew Timme has 33 points, his career-high for an NCAA tournament game.
Jaime Jaquez Jr. has 19 points and 11 rebounds, but he looks gassed and is missing shots. The Bruins are shooting 42.1 percent from the field.
UCLA holds slim lead as Gonzaga dominates offensive boards
🏀 UCLA 59, Gonzaga 54 — 11:31 left in the second half
A three-pointer by Dylan Andrews gave the Bruins a little breathing space, but the battles on the boards are getting intense.
Gonzaga has been dominating the offensive boards and is scoring consistently off second chances. Big man Drew Timme has 31 points and 10 rebounds.
Jaime Jaquez Jr., looking winded before the TV timeout, has 19 points and eight rebounds. Amari Bailey has 15 points.
UCLA struggling to make shots, can’t stop Drew Timme
🏀 UCLA 54, Gonzaga 50 — 13:59 left in the second half
Drew Timme is taking control. The Gonzaga star has 29 points and is frustrating the UCLA defense as Gonzaga breaks out an 8-0 run.
The Bruins are also struggling with their shot, with Jaime Jaquez Jr. missing a wide-open three as the Bruins’ field-goal shooting percentage for the game drops to 45.8.
UCLA trying to hold back Drew Timme and Gonzaga
🏀 UCLA 54, Gonzaga 46 — 15:11 left in the second half
The Bruins continue to hold the lead, but the combination of Drew Timme and Anton Watson are making it difficult for the Bruins to stay in command.
A couple quick baskets by Timme and Watson helped the Bulldogs made it an eight-point game.
But UCLA has also managed to keep up the offensive tempo, with Jaime Jaquez Jr. scoring a breakaway dunk off a stolen inbound pass and following up with a three-pointer.
Drew Timme is up to 25 points for the Bulldogs and Watson has seven.
Jaquez Jr. has a team-high 17 points for the Bruins. Amari Bailey has 15.
UCLA holds onto 46-33 halftime lead after impressive first half
🏀 UCLA 46, Gonzaga 33 — HALFTIME
UCLA put up, arguably, its best 20 minutes of basketball all season to take a double-digit halftime lead over Gonzaga.
The Bruins ended the first half on a 15-4 run that was a showcase of their defense and ability to score from short range.
Amari Bailey and Tyger Campbell each have 13 points and Jaime Jaquez Jr. has 12 points and six rebounds.
UCLA found ways to contain Gonzaga star Drew Timme after he started fast. He has a game-high 19 points and five rebounds.
UCLA trying to take command before halftime
🏀 UCLA 44, Gonzaga 33 — 1:02 left in the first quarter
The Bruins continue to control the offensive tempo, with Amari Bailey scoring four quick points. UCLA has scored 15 points off nine turnovers.
Drew Timme has 19 points for the Bulldogs.
UCLA capitalizing on turnovers to extend lead over Gonzaga
🏀 UCLA 40, Gonzaga 31 — 3:05 left in the first half
UCLA’s ability to force turnovers is proving vital against Gonzaga. They’ve scored 13 points off eight turnovers by the Bulldogs.
After Gonzaga went on an 8-0 run, UCLA responded with five quick points, including a three-pointer from Tyger Campbell. A stellar layup off a rebound by Jaime Jaquez Jr. helped UCLA go on a 9-2 run.
Jaquez has 12 points on six-of-12 shooting from the field and Tyger Campbell has 11 points on four-of-eight shooting.
After initially struggling to keep Gonzaga star Drew Timme under control, the Bruins have found more success limiting his ability to find clean shots and offensive rebounds.
Gonzaga goes on scoring run to cut into UCLA’s lead
🏀 UCLA 31, Gonzaga 29 — 6:31 left in the first
Coming out of a timeout called by Gonzaga coach Mark Few, the Bulldogs looked a little more consistent. A layup by Hunter Sallis and a three-pointer by Malachi Smith has helped Gonzaga put together an 8-0 run.
Amari Bailey has nine points on four-of-six shooting from the field. Tyger Campbell has eight points and David Singleton, Jaime Jaquez Jr. each have six.
Amari Bailey and Tyger Campbell help UCLA put together 9-2 run
🏀 UCLA 29, Gonzaga 21 — 10:04 left in the first half
The trio of Amari Bailey, Tyger Campbell and Jaime Jaquez Jr. are creating big headaches for Gonzaga’s defense.
Bailey and Campbell are finding ways to penetrate the paint and score off feeds, helping put together a 9-2 run in what has been an impressive offensive start for UCLA. Bailey has nine points, Campbell has eight.
An easy basket on a Campbell pass for Jaquez under the basket prompted frustrated Gonzaga coach Mark Few to call a timeout.
Drew Timme has 15 points for the Bulldogs.
UCLA holding onto slim over Gonzaga lead early on
🏀 UCLA 22, Gonzaga 19 — 11:10 left in the first half
UCLA finding ways to penetrate the zone and put up quality shots,capitalizing on three Gonzaga turnovers to take an early lead.
Amari Bailey leads the Bruins with 11 points on five-of-seven shooting from the field.
Drew Timme continues to be a big problem for UCLA. He has 15 points on seven-of-10 shooting.
Gonzaga challenging UCLA’s defense early
🏀 Gonzaga 11, UCLA 9 — 15:30 left in the first half
UCLA struggling to contain the top offense in college basketball. Drew Timme already has nine points, a big chunk of which came off only his fourth three-pointer of the season.
Amari Bailey has five points and David Singleton, who started coming off an ankle injury, hit an early three-pointer.
Here are the starters for UCLA and Gonzaga; David Singleton starting
David Singleton is in the starting lineup for UCLA tonight after sustaining an ankle injury against Northwestern on Saturday.
UCLA freshmen’s stingy defense could give Bruins a boost against Gonzaga
LAS VEGAS — A week before the season, Mick Cronin contemplated giving up nearly 90 points in a scrimmage against San Diego State and chuckled when a reporter inquired about his defense.
Not taking the cue, the reporter asked if this could be one of the best defensive teams the coach had assembled at UCLA.
“Uh, no,” Cronin said. “Too many freshmen.”
The way things turned out, he’d take a few more.
Freshmen Adem Bona, Amari Bailey, Dylan Andrews and Will McClendon have fortified a veteran core in forming Cronin’s most wicked defense in four seasons at the school. The Bruins rank No. 2 nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency, according to the metrics of basketball analyst Ken Pomeroy, up from No. 16 last season and No. 46 the season before when they reached the Final Four.
Adem Bona will not play for UCLA tonight; David Singleton warming up
Adem Bona, UCLA’s difference-maker inside, is not in uniform for the Bruins ahead of Thursday’s Sweet 16 showdown with Gonzaga. Officially, he’s “unlikely to play” but he was not in uniform just before the start of the game.
Bona aggravated a shoulder injury during UCLA’s win over Northwestern and it was unclear whether he’d be able to play against Gonzaga.
David Singleton (ankle) was warming up before tip-off and “looks fine,” according to Times UCLA beat writer Ben Bolch.
Former UCLA basketball coach Jim Harrick, who guided the team to its last NCAA tournament title in 1995, is in attendance at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Jaylen Clark is out but still inspiring defense-minded UCLA in NCAA tournament
SACRAMENTO — Before he left the podium late Thursday night, Mick Cronin saluted someone several hundred miles away.
“Jaylen Clark,” Cronin said, “we miss you, buddy.”
Yes, the UCLA Bruins certainly do.
Clark is their best defender, if not the nation’s best. He’s their emotional spark plug, following his takeaways leading to easy baskets with a muscled flex and a mighty roar.
Toughness key for UCLA siblings Gabriela and Jaime Jaquez Jr.
Gabriela Jaquez’s older brother was the quietest fan in the arena. He sat with his hands folded in his lap and long legs stretched over the back of a seat in Pauley Pavilion as he watched his sister play in the NCAA tournament in person for the first time.
Jaquez didn’t earn a reaction from Jaime Jaquez Jr. until she grabbed a steal and scored on the other end with a step-back fadeaway shot off one leg. At the urging of his teammates, the UCLA men’s basketball star shyly clapped for his younger sister as a wide smile split his face.
Gabriela’s critical fourth-quarter play will help keep the Jaquez family cheering all weekend as she and Jaime are the first brother-sister duo to reach the Sweet 16 in their respective tournaments during the same year. Jaime leads the No. 2-seeded UCLA men’s team against No. 3 Gonzaga on Thursday in Las Vegas, and Gabriela and the women’s team will try to upset No. 1 overall seed South Carolina in Greenville, S.C., on Saturday.
Twelve things that must go right for UCLA during March Madness
Winning in the Big Dance requires being able to move to every song that’s playing.
That’s a March mantra UCLA coach Mick Cronin likes to repeat. It originated with his 81-year-old father, Hep, a former high school basketball coach now known for his fist pumps during Bruins victories.
“It ain’t the tango every night,” Mick Cronin said. “You got to be able to win in different ways against different styles.”
The Bruins’ relentless defense and ability to protect the ball like a newborn make them capable of beating any team this time of year. But there are more than a few missteps they must avoid to keep dancing through “One Shining Moment,” the season’s final song.
How many times has UCLA men’s basketball team won the NCAA title?
UCLA has a rich history in men’s basketball.
But when it comes to NCAA championships, that’s pretty much all it is — history.
As in, ancient history. Or pretty close to it.
The Bruins have won 11 national titles, more than any other school.
With players such as Walt Hazzard, Gail Goodrich, Lew Alcindor and Bill Walton, legendary coach John Wooden led UCLA to 10 championships during a 12-year span from 1964-75.
Don’t fret about UCLA. Resilience is part of the Bruins’ March Madness style
SACRAMENTO — Instinct will be to point to Saturday as evidence for why UCLA can’t win a national championship.
Calmer heads will offer the escape against Northwestern as a reason the Bruins can. Ignore the narrow margin of victory. Mick Cronin’s team is on its way.
Plenty went wrong for the Bruins at Golden 1 Center. Yet, somehow, they never let the Wildcats overtake them. Somehow, they won.
Their 68-63 victory over Northwestern was more about their determination than their shot-making ability, more about their comfort doing whatever was necessary to win than their domination in any particular statistical category.
Amari Bailey’s moment has arrived. How far will it take him and UCLA?
His ethos can be found under his right bicep, in large black letters.
“No Vanity,” the tattoo reads.
It would be so easy to indulge in just a little now.
Amari Bailey is no longer an up-and-coming college basketball star. He’s here.
With every slick move to the basket, every defensive stop, every pass that finds a teammate in the perfect spot, the UCLA freshman guard is elevating an already formidable team into a potentially unstoppable force at just the right time.
Full coverage: 2023 NCAA basketball tournament
Drama is assured when the UCLA men face Gonzaga in the NCAA tournament.
The teams have met three times on college basketball’s biggest stage, producing two of the event’s most iconic moments. They’ll meet again in the Sweet 16 on Thursday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
The UCLA women’s team, the No. 4 seed in the Greenville 1 Regional, is set for their biggest test yet: a Sweet 16 matchup against No. 1 ranked defending champion South Carolina on Saturday at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, S.C.
Check out The Times’ complete coverage of the NCAA men’s and women’s tournaments.
UCLA’s senior trio has persevered in restoring the Bruins to national prominence
The point guard was slow and small, that mound of dreadlocks notwithstanding.
The small forward, for all his toughness, doubted himself amid repeated mistakes and the nonstop yelling from his coach.
The shooting guard didn’t offer much besides a singular skill that could be offset by his inability to get his own shot.
Four years later, on the eve of what could be their final home game, the only thing that remains unchanged about the trio of seniors is that mound of hair.
Despite being shorthanded, UCLA expects another classic clash against Gonzaga
The tears before the end of an epic collapse.
The 40-footer banked in at the buzzer.
If you know, you know. And most everybody does.
Drama is assured when UCLA faces Gonzaga in the NCAA tournament.
The teams have met three times on college basketball’s biggest stage, producing two of the event’s most iconic moments. Start with Gonzaga’s Adam Morrison crying before a 2006 regional semifinal was over, Bruins fans committing broadcaster Gus Johnson’s breathless narration of the final seconds to memory.
“And the steal … Farmar … inside … the freshman up … and they go in front!”
Fifteen years later, Morrison was on the call for Gonzaga’s IMG Radio when Jalen
UCLA will need new strategy for Drew Timme if Adem Bona, David Singleton out vs. Gonzaga
Mick Cronin has plenty of film of his teams playing Gonzaga.
A few seconds aren’t approved for all audiences.
Rewatching UCLA’s 2021 Final Four loss on Monday night, the Bruins coach hit pause as soon as Johnny Juzang’s putback tied the score with 3.3 seconds left in overtime.
There was no need to relive what happened next.
“What the hell do I need to watch that for?” Cronin said Tuesday afternoon. “You think I’m a masochist?”
Fortunately for the Bruins, Jalen Suggs is no longer around to bank in 40-footers at the buzzer, having moved on to the NBA. The same goes for onetime Zags stars Andrew Nembhard and Corey Kispert. Even Chet Holmgren, the one-and-done phenom who tormented the Bruins last season in Las Vegas, has moved on.
UCLA vs. Gonzaga in NCAA tournament: Betting odds and how to watch
In 2021, Jalen Suggs, who now plays for the Orlando Magic, banked in a shot from just about half court to give Gonzaga a Final Four win over UCLA at the buzzer. The Bruins will be looking for revenge, and that’s not something you can take lightly. There are quite a few players on this UCLA team who contributed to the Bruins’ Final Four run, with Tyger Campbell and Jaime Jaquez Jr. among them. Those two will want to go out and beat the Zags team that ended their season, but it’s a little hard to ignore how banged up UCLA is right now.
Not only did Mick Cronin’s team lose Jaylen Clark — one of the team’s best two-way players and the Pac-12 defensive player of the year — before the tournament, but David Singleton sustained an ankle sprain in the Bruins’ second-round win over Northwestern. It seems likely that Singleton will play, but the Bruins need him to be himself in order to win. Singleton is a team leader and was part of the Bruins team that lost to Gonzaga in the Final Four.