The second West Region semifinal game of the 2023 NCAA Tournament will pit No. 3 Gonzaga vs. No. 2 UCLA on Thursday night from Las Vegas, Nevada.
The Bulldogs (30-5) are headed to the Sweet 16 for the eighth consecutive time, while the Bruins (31-5) are making their third straight trip.
UCLA opened as 2-point favorites in this battle of West Coast teams.
FrontPageBets takes a look at this Sweet 16 matchup.
Gonzaga: Road to Sweet 16
The Zags eased past No. 14 Grand Canyon, 82-70, in their first-round game from Denver, Colo., on Friday and followed up with a tight, 84-81 win over 6th-seeded TCU on Sunday to advance.
The dominant team from the West Coast Conference, Gonzaga has made it to the NCAA Tournament in 25 consecutive seasons.
Gonzaga big man Drew Timme is a force, scoring 28 against TCU on Sunday to make him just the seventh player in NCAA Tournament history to score 20 or more points in nine postseason games.
The Bulldogs beat UCLA in the 2021 Final Four, played in the Indianapolis bubble, to advance to the national championship game before losing to Baylor.
UCLA: Road to Sweet 16
The Bruins are now the top-seeded team left in the West Region after Kansas lost to Arkansas on Saturday in the second round.
The No. 2 Bruins opened up the NCAA Tournament with a big, 86-53 win over No. 15 UNC Asheville; they then held off No. 7 Northwestern, 68-63, in Saturday night’s second round from Sacramento, Calif.
UCLA is one of four programs to make it to three consecutive Sweet 16s, joining Arkansas, Houston and their Thursday opponent, Gonzaga.
The Bruins are led by senior Jaime Jaquez Jr., who is averaging 20.5 points and 8 rebounds in the Big Dance. Jaquez moved past legend Bill Walton for 12th on UCLA’s career scoring list with 1,773 points.
UCLA is sixth in the country in scoring defense, allowing just 60.2 points per game.
No. 3 Gonzaga vs. No. 2 UCLA
(All odds courtesy of DraftKings and are subject to change)
When: 9:30 p.m. (approx.), Thursday; Las Vegas
TV: CBS
Spread: UCLA -2 (-110); Gonzaga +2 (-110)
Money line: UCLA -135; Gonzaga +115
O/U: 145.5 (-110)
The pick: UCLA, 65-61
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Mike Szvetitz is the General Manager and Content Director for FrontPageBets.com. Szvetitz is a 23-year veteran reporter and editor, including serving 17 years as a sports editor in Florida, Alabama and Virginia, covering everything from preps to pros. His "View From The Lazy Boy" column won multiple state and national awards. He can be reached at mszvetitz@timesdispatch.com.
