Gonzaga dominates UCLA, showing that Zags are top title contenders again

By Andy Katz
FOX Sports College Basketball Analyst

LAS VEGAS — This is no longer just about one game.

One matchup.

One set of players.

Gonzaga is here to stay atop men’s college basketball.

If you had any lingering doubts, you shouldn’t after the Zags' dominant 83-63 victory over No. 2 UCLA in the first regular-season matchup of No. 1 and No. 2 teams from the West Coast. That's saying something, considering that this was the 43rd game all time between No. 1 and No. 2 in the Associated Press poll.

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The Zags might not have won a national title — yet — but they are affixed as title contenders and a No. 1 seed now.

Gonzaga has been atop the AP poll for 20 weeks over two seasons. The Zags have been in the AP Top 25 for 98 straight weeks! The 20 straight weeks as No. 1 ties the longest streak, matching Bill Russell-led San Francisco from 1955-56.

"That many weeks at No. 1 is amazing," said Gonzaga coach Mark Few, who appears bound for the Hall of Fame himself. "I’m so impressed by our guys' ability to handle that. We’ve always had the target on our backs. Our guys show up every night. They get battle-tested, and they keep going. It’s amazing.’’

The consistency is remarkable. The Zags are on a run the past five years that is difficult to dismiss. They have played in two of the past four title games. They were going to be a No. 1 seed in the 2020 NCAA tournament that never occurred due to the pandemic.

"We had a chance to be the No. 1 overall seed in 2020 with Kansas," Few said late Tuesday night at the Las Vegas hotel hours after his team's dismantling of the Bruins. "We were a No. 1 seed in 2017, 2019, 2020 [if it happened] and 2021."

The 2017 team lost to North Carolina in the title game. The Zags lost to eventual national runner-up Texas Tech in the Elite Eight in 2019. They lost to Baylor in the title game this past April in the Indy bubble. The 2019 team that lost to Chris Beard’s Red Raiders opened the season by beating Zion Williamson, RJ Barrett and the vaunted Duke Blue Devils in the Maui Invitational final.

The Zags easily could have dipped this season. They lost No. 5 pick Jalen Suggs and No. 15 pick Corey Kispert to the NBA Draft, plus a critical role player in Joel Ayayi. They also lost top assistant Tommy Lloyd, who became Arizona’s head coach.

But look what they added: a unicorn of an athlete in Chet Holmgren, a shot-blocking, shot-altering, ballhandling, 3-point shooting 7-footer. Holmgren's skills were on full display against the Bruins, as he scored 15 points, blocked four shots and disrupted plenty more. He had one block, rebound and full-length dribble and dunk that was extraordinary. He also had a flush that looked like he was on a nerf hoop.

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The Zags brought back Player of the Year candidate Drew Timme, who has already scored 37 against Texas and put in 18 against the Bruins, and brought in one of the most underrated guards in Andrew Nembhard, a Florida transfer. All Nembhard did against UCLA was drop 24 points in 40 minutes.

But under Few, what the Zags do best is find the rotation players who continue to deliver.

This time it’s Julian Strawther, suddenly scoring with more opportunities, two-time transfer Rasir Bolton and freshman Nolan Hickman (once coveted by Kentucky). Strawther has been the surprise this season, a double-digit scorer. He and Bolton both knock down timely shots. And at some point, more will come from freshman Hunter Sallis.

But the Zags actually might be better defensively. UCLA mustered just 26% shooting overall, 11% on 3s.

"We’ve got a quick perimeter, and they’re guarding their yard,’’ Few said. "They also know they can extend with the rim protection we have this year. And Drew has taken to moving his feet better. Chet has gotten better defensively in the last few weeks. He’s taken a big jump. And we’ve got depth with Anton Watson and Kaden Perry. Last year, we really just had Drew and Anton with Corey.’’

Suggs was outstanding on the top of the perimeter and could force steals to jump-start the transition offense. The Zags might not have a singular defensive stud, but their perimeter collection is mighty strong.

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The Zags will play No. 5 Duke on Friday on this same floor at a sold-out T-Mobile Arena. Gonzaga has a loyal, traveling fan base. The Zags have become a show. They also play No. 10 Alabama on Dec. 4 in Seattle.

And the WCC is clearly better than anyone projected, with BYU (beat Oregon), Saint Mary’s (beat Oregon and in the Maui final), Santa Clara (crushed Stanford) and San Francisco (took down Nevada) all legitimate NCAA Tournament contenders.

Gonzaga couldn’t handle Baylor’s size and physicality in the final this past April. Duke’s athleticism and length could be a problem Friday. The size of the Purdue post will be an intriguing matchup. Kansas’ and Villanova’s experience and grittiness will be a challenge.

Nothing is a given. But Gonzaga is right there to contend for the title — again.

The ability to reinvent, retool and reload every season is getting redundant.

The Zag Way started before the Butler Way or the Jay Wright-Nova Way. Gonzaga has a 22-year run of being something special.

The consistency is almost impossible to describe. All that’s left is to win a championship. The odds are in the Zags' favor that it will come in due time.

Maybe even as soon as April in New Orleans.

Andy Katz is a longtime college basketball writer, analyst and host. He can be seen on FOX Sports and Big Ten Network platforms, as well as March Madness and NCAA.com, and he hosts the podcast "March Madness 365." Katz worked at ESPN for nearly two decades and, prior to that, in newspapers for nine years.