Jaime Jaquez shares what stands out about Gonzaga

UCLA and Gonzaga have had several memorable NCAA Tournament matchups over the past two decades, and the stage is set for yet another classic between the two west coast powerhouses in this year’s Sweet 16.

Jaime Jaquez, who has experience playing Gonzaga in March Madness, explained how the Bruins have scouted the Bulldogs for this matchup and how he plans to guard their up-tempo offense.

“I think more the offense obviously has been a big focal point of their team. And I think that’s just constant throughout the three years that I’ve been here, being able to play them,” Jaquez said. “They’re always tough to guard in transition, the pick and roll as well. We’re going to try to trust in our game plan, trust in the coaches and we’re going to try to execute the best we can.”

Both teams are playing their best basketball of the season coming into March Madness’s second weekend. It’s the first matchup this season between two 30-win teams — those metrics alone suggests how great a game this could be.

Jaquez is averaging 20.5 points and 8.0 rebounds per game so far in the NCAA Tournament for UCLA and is coming off an impressive 24-point performance against Northwestern in the Round of 32.

Gonzaga’s Drew Timme has been the heart and soul of the Bulldogs’ operations for some time now. He averaged 21.1 points per game throughout the entire season, good for 14th best in the nation. Timme is also averaging 24.5 points per game through two games tournament.

The Bruins and Zags have faced off three times before in the NCAA Tournament. UCLA is 1-2 in those matchups — except for in the most recent, which doubles most notable. That came in the 2021 Final Four when Gonzaga defeated UCLA 93-90 in a thrilling overtime contest. Timme and Jaquez both played prominent roles for their respective clubs back then, too, and are poised to lead their teams into battle Thursday night.

In the other matchups, the Adam Morrison-led Gonzaga Bulldogs were stunned by UCLA in Heartbreak City back in 2006 after overcoming a 17-point defecit to pull off the improbable comeback. The second game was less engaging, seeing Gonzaga handily defeat UCLA in the 2015 Sweet 16.

Tip-off for this year’s game scheduled for Thursday night at 9:45 p.m. ET live from the T-Mobile Arena is Las Vegas, Nevada and coverage for the Sweet 16’s day one nightcap will be broadcast live on CBS. The Bruins head into Thursday’s games as a one-point favorite over Gonzaga. The over/under is set at 145.