Mick Cronin reveals the three challenges of facing Gonzaga

Gonzaga has been there and done that in the NCAA Tournament. While the Bulldogs still haven’t won it all, they’ve been as consistent as any program come March. That’s why, when looking ahead to their matchup tonight in the Sweet 16, Mick Cronin has his eyes on three things that will make them a difficult matchup for his UCLA Bruins.

To start, Cronin went straight to the source which, in his mind, is Mark Few on the sidelines. After that, he threw in All-American senior Drew Timme as well as the shooters for the ‘Zags that make them such a difficult opponent to come across.

“They have three things: Coaching? A+. Plus Drew Timme and shooting. How is that for you?,” asked Cronin.

“And not just shooting from one guy. They’ve got multiple shooters,” Cronin continued. “A great, great go-to player that has over 100 assists, which is very rare for a big guy. And then triple-A coaching.”

There’s no questioning Few at the top as one of the best coaches in the game. His resume, whether you consider it impressive in the WCC or not, speaks for itself. In short, he’s a winner. Few owns the highest active winning percentage among coaches at 83.7%. He has also led Gonzaga to its first-ever Final Fours in 2017 and 2021. Both ended in runner-up finishes for the ‘Zags in the national championship. Add in the Bulldog’s consistency at getting to the second weekend and he’s as good as it gets when it comes to at least advancing.

From there, the spotlight naturally shifts to Timme. The former four-star has been a menace in the college game for four years now. That starts and essentially ends with him being by far the sport’s best offensive weapon in the paint. In 132 games, he has averaged 17.1 points and 6.6 rebounds on 62% shooting. During this season, Timme has had one of his best campaigns with career-highs in points (21.1), rebounds (7.3), and assists (3.2) to go along with his 62.1% field goal percentage.

Finally, Gonzaga has the shooters across the board to create a near-perfect combo when it comes to inside and out. Malachi Smith and Julian Strawther lead the way in that category with elite efficiency as Smith shoots an insane 50.6% while Strawther is still very impressive at 42.3%. After that, Rasir Bolton, Ben Gregg, and Nolan Hickman all shoot anywhere from 35% to 40% from distance.

UCLA, specifically their defense under Cronin, is more than equipped to handle what Gonzaga is going to throw at them. However, ahead of another contest with them in Las Vegas tonight, they’re not forgetting how difficult it is to knock off the Bulldogs in the postseason.