PARADISE ISLAND, The Bahamas– The supposed epic rematch between No. 1 Gonzaga and No.2 UCLA in Vegas never materialized.
The top ranked Bulldogs, who defeated the Bruins 93-90, on a 40-foot buzzer bomb by Jalen Suggs in last year’s NCAA tournament national semi-finals, turned the much anticipated showdown into a mismatch, cruising to a 83-63 blowout victory to solidify their hold on No.1 in the AP poll.
The 6-0 Zags, a WCC team that will play anyone, anywhere, will play Duke here Friday night.
Maybe that will be more interesting.
The most exciting part of the game was the much-anticipated return of Dick Vitale to courtside after undergoing treatment for lymphoma. Vitale fought back tears as he talked about his battle with cancer in the lead up to tip off and touched college basketball fans throughout America with his courage.
Gonzaga frightened the rest of college basketball with their quickness and defense. They dominated this game from minute one, getting spectacular performances from 7-1, 195-pound freshman sensation Chet Holmgren and point guard Andrew Nembhard.
Holmgren, the No 1 prospect in the Class of 2021, was as good as advertised. The multi-skilled Holmgren, who is already drawing comparisons to a young Kevin Durant, finished with 15 points, six rebounds and four blocked shots but his 15 was like 30 when you factor in his psychological ability to disrupt the UCLA offense with his shot blocking and rim protection. Nembhard scored 24 points on 9 for 13 shooting and had 5 rebounds and 6 assists, totally outplayed UCLA point guard Tyger Campbell, making all the right decisions.
Center Drew Timme, the early favorite for national Player of the Year, finished with 18 points for the Bulldogs, who shot 56 percent and limited UCLA to 34.8 percent shooting and took full advantage of the fact 6-9, starting center Cody Riley is still out with an injury.
“The only way to learn is to play against the best and UCLA is one of the best teams in college basketball,” Gonzaga coach Mark Few said. “College basketball needs these games and it’s incumbent on coaches at this level to play them.”
Holmgren stole the show in this one, swatting shots swooping in for dunks and mesmerizing the crowd with his agility. He earned a well-deserved ovation early ovation when he blocked shot by UCLA’s 6-11 center Myles Johnson, then went coast to coast- for a two handed dunk, punctuating the play with a behind the back dribble.
“He’s not just a diaper dandy, he’s a diaper-dandy deluxe,” Vitale said.
And he’s only getting better, as are the Zags, who don’t seem to have lost anything after losing three starters from last season. They were just too much for the Bruins, who struggled with transition defense all game.
The Bruins never caught fire, shooting just 2 for 12 from the three. Jaime Jaquez, who scored 19 points was the only play to show any offensive life for the Bruins (5-1).
