UCLA Basketball

No. 1 Gonzaga improved to 6-0 with a 83-63 win over No. 2 UCLA on Tuesday. Andrew Nembhard led the way with 24 points as the Bulldogs won their 32nd straight regular season game.

Drew Timme added 18 points and eight rebounds and freshman sensation Chet Holmgren had 15 points, six rebounds and four blocks.

Get to know the name... @ChetHolmgren.

📺: @espn @ZagMBB x #WCChoops pic.twitter.com/cnqGMBzoGa

— WCC Basketball (@WCChoops) November 24, 2021

The game was a rematch of the Final Four overtime thriller between the Bulldogs and Bruins in the 2021 NCAA tournament, which Gonzaga won to earn its second national championship berth in program history.

Jaime Jaquez Jr. had 19 points and six rebounds to lead UCLA, which fell to 5-1.

The game also marked the return of legendary college basketball broadcaster Dick Vitale, who was calling his first game of the season after being diagnosed with cancer in October. The 82-year-old was understandably emotional in his return.

Dick Vitale was diagnosed with lymphoma last month and took a break for treatment

Tonight, the 82-year-old made his return to call Gonzaga vs. UCLA 🙏pic.twitter.com/eXzv1DhpiI

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) November 24, 2021

Vitale was gifted with Gonzaga and UCLA jerseys that said "Dickie V" and "Never Give Up" on the back.

---

Notable Player Stats

G Andrew Nembhard, Gonzaga: 24 points, 6 assists

F Drew Timme, Gonzaga: 18 points, 8 rebounds

F Chet Holmgren, Gonzaga: 15 points, 6 rebounds, 4 blocks

G Jaime Jaquez Jr., UCLA: 19 points, 6 rebounds

G Johnny Juzang, UCLA: 11 points

---

Gonzaga's High-Octane Offense Overpowers UCLA

The Bulldogs are known for playing at an incredibly high pace, and Tuesday's game was no different. Gonzaga established the tempo early on, and once the offense got rolling it was hard for the Bruins to keep up.

UCLA trailed 10-6, but the Bulldogs began pushing the ball and went on a 23-4 run to take a 33-10 lead. Gonzaga's offense was like a freight train going downhill, attacking the paint and kicking the ball out for open three-pointers.

Andrew Nembhard with two consecutive coast-to-coast layups, zooming right by UCLA defenders. It's getting ugly already. Gonzaga is up 33-10 on UCLA with 8:37 to play in the opening half.

— Tarek Fattal (@Tarek_Fattal) November 24, 2021

Nembhard did a good job as the team's floor general and made the right decisions. The senior point guard knew when to facilitate and when to attack.

We think @AndrewNembhard and @ZagMBB looked pretty good in the first half. #WCChoops

📺: @ESPN pic.twitter.com/aPMpH3BHC0

— WCC Basketball (@WCChoops) November 24, 2021

1️⃣ has 20 more points than 2️⃣.

📺: @espn @ZagMBB x #WCChoops pic.twitter.com/KjfjxKv22b

— WCC Basketball (@WCChoops) November 24, 2021

The Bulldogs went into halftime leading 45-25. The efficient style of play helped them shoot 15-of-26 (57.7 percent) from the field and 6-of-12 from three-point range.

The pace slowed down a bit in the second half, but it didn't hurt Gonzaga's efficiency. The Bulldogs still shot at a high clip, converting on 54.2 percent of their shots.

Gonzaga looks even stronger than last year's team that advanced to the national title game. If the Bulldogs can keep imposing their will on offense, it wouldn't be a surprise to see them back in the championship game in 2022.

---

UCLA Fails to Recover from Poor Shot Selection

The Bruins fell into the trap of trying to play as fast as the Bulldogs, and that resulted in some terrible decision-making.

UCLA tried to get shots up without setting up its offense. With Holmgren patrolling the paint, Gonzaga's defense allowed the Bruins to get outside shots, but they failed to convert. They made just one of their nine three-point attempts in the first half and shot 11-of-41 (26.8 percent) overall.

Chet Holmgren already has three blocks. His length is a factor down low - no question.

UCLA shooting woes continue, 6 of 30.

Zags 33, UCLA 14. 5:32, 1H

— Tarek Fattal (@Tarek_Fattal) November 24, 2021

UCLA has missed 25 of its first 31 shots. Just can't do anything against this Gonzaga length. Zags are giving them those 3s. They just can't hit them.

— Myron Medcalf (@MedcalfByESPN) November 24, 2021

The game slowed down in the second half, and UCLA was able to convert at a more efficient rate, shooting 13-of-28 (46.4 percent). But it was too little, too late. Gonzaga matched UCLA with 38 second-half points to secure the 20-point victory.

The Bruins are a better team than what they showed Tuesday night. They ran into an offensive juggernaut and played out of character. If UCLA wants to bounce back, it will have to get back to playing the way it usually does by making better decisions and shooting efficiently.

---

What's Next?

Gonzaga will be back in action in another ranked matchup Friday against No. 5 Duke in Las Vegas. UCLA will look to bounce back Saturday on the road against UNLV.

UCLA received a massive boost to its 2022 recruiting class Monday with a commitment from 5-star center Adem Bona:

Just in: 5-star prospect Adem Bona — a 6-foot-10 big man — chooses between Kentucky and UCLA. pic.twitter.com/NfvEjo18XY

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) November 1, 2021

Bona is ranked as the No. 19 overall player and the fifth-best center among the 2022 group in 247Sports' composite rankings. The Prolific Prep standout is also rated as the No. 3 recruit out of California.

The 18-year-old Nigerian moved to Turkey as a teenager and rose to prominence while playing for the Turkish youth national team at the FIBA U16 European Championship in 2019.

After getting a taste of professional basketball with Pinar Karsiyaka in Turkey, he moved to the United States to play at Prolific Prep as a rapidly emerging top prospect.

Although his offensive game remains a work in progress, his lanky 6'9", 225-pound frame and high-end athleticism make him a potential impact defender right away in college.

In August 2019, Bona told FIBA Basketball he looked up to former Detroit Pistons star Ben Wallace, a four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year.

"I like Ben Wallace because he was an undersized big guy and he was aggressive all the time," he said. "He would take on guys bigger than him. He made defense fun for basketball. Before Ben Wallace, there wasn't much fun on defense in basketball. He made it fun. That's why I like him."

Bona also mentioned the Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo as someone with a story that provides motivation: "It's a big inspiration. I watch a lot of Giannis videos. I watched his life story. It's an inspiration to me."

While he has plenty of development ahead of him to reach the NBA success of those players, it's clear he possesses a lot of raw potential.

For Mick Cronin and the Bruins, Bona likely won't be a game-changer at both ends right out of the gate, but he should make a defensive impact and showcase steady growth offensively.

As long as he acclimates himself well, it could be a short one-year stay at UCLA before he shifts his focus toward the 2023 NBA draft.

Nan Wooden died Tuesday at the age of 87.

Family members said, per Beth Harris of the Associated Press, that the daughter of famous UCLA men's basketball coach John Wooden died of natural causes. She had suffered multiple strokes the past few years.

Nan Wooden was a familiar figure at UCLA's Pauley Pavilion and often attended Bruins home games even after her father retired.

Her father died in 2010 at 99 years old.

John is largely considered one of the best coaches in college basketball history. He led Indiana State for two seasons and then UCLA for 27 from 1948-49 through 1974-75. He won 10 national championships and reached 12 Final Fours during his illustrious career.

Nan is survived by three daughters, six grandchildren, four great-grandchildren and one brother.

UCLA basketball guard Jaylen Clark announced Thursday that he will be the first college athlete ever to launch their own cryptocurrency.

According to Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times, the cryptocurrency is called $JROCK and it will be available on the crypto website Rally.

Bolch noted that those who buy $JROCK will have the chance to receive some perks, including access to special merchandise and the opportunity to star in one of Clark's YouTube videos. Clark is also doing a giveaway on Instagram for the first 100 people to buy $JROCK.

Clark has nearly 23,000 subscribers on YouTube and over 59,000 followers on Instagram.

Regarding his new cryptocurrency, Clark said:

"I love my fans and I'm looking forward to fostering a strong sense of community and providing exclusive access to what goes on behind the scenes in the life of a college basketball player.

"Joining the creator economy opens up so many possibilities and allows me to bring my fans into the experience, which is something I'm very passionate about."

Thousands of college athletes have branched out and explored earning opportunities this year since the institution of new NCAA rules on name, image and likeness (NIL) deals.

College athletes are now able to use their name, image and likeness for financial gain, which has led to some high-profile endorsement deals. Clark is the first to explore the crypto environment, however.

Clark is a Riverside, California, native who is preparing to enter his sophomore season at UCLA in 2021-22.

He played somewhat sparingly last season, averaging 2.5 points and 2.4 rebounds in 9.0 minutes per game over 31 contests for a Bruins team that surprisingly reached the Final Four before falling to Gonzaga in overtime.

When Clark arrived at UCLA, 247Sports rated him as a 4-star recruit and the No. 124 player in the 2020 recruiting class.

Guard Johnny Juzang announced Wednesday that he is withdrawing from the 2021 NBA draft and returning to UCLA for his junior season in 2021-22:

💙💛 !!! @UCLAMBB pic.twitter.com/GGh8Ke5ZvQ

— Johnny Juzang (@JohnnyJuzang) July 8, 2021

After playing a small role as a freshman for Kentucky in 2019-20, Juzang broke out the following season after a transfer, averaging 16.0 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game for a Bruins team that surprisingly reached the Final Four.

Regarding Juzang's return, UCLA head coach Mick Cronin noted:

Juzang was especially strong during UCLA's six-game run during the NCAA tournament, which ended with a heartbreaking 93-90 overtime loss to Gonzaga in the Final Four. He averaged 22.8 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.5 three-pointers made while shooting 50.9 percent from the field and 37.5 percent from three.

He saved his best performance for last, totaling 29 points, six rebounds, two assists and two steals versus Gonzaga.

In Juzang, the Bruins are returning their leading scorer. No. 2 scorer Chris Smith, who appeared in only eight games last season, is likely to be UCLA's only significant loss.

Among the other players set to return in 2021-22 are guards Jaime Jaquez Jr., Tyger Campbell and Jules Bernard, as well as forward Cody Riley. The Bruins are also adding 5-star forward Peyton Watson, 247Sports' No. 8 prospect.

The team only went 17-9 (13-6 in the Pac-12) before the NCAA tournament last season and needed to win a play-in game to reach the field of 64, so there is plenty of room for UCLA to improve its pre-tournament record next season.

UCLA star Johnny Juzang announced Tuesday he intends to enter the 2021 NBA draft while leaving the door open for a return to the Bruins. 

"I am going [to] continue to work and give the passion I always have and see where it takes me," Juzang wrote. "I'll then make an informed decision. Blessings!"

💙💛 pic.twitter.com/NRxDsXWkhC

— Johnny Juzang (@JohnnyJuzang) April 20, 2021

Juzang was a 4-star recruit and the No. 33 player in 247Sports' composite rankings coming out of high school, but he struggled to make an impact in his freshman season at Kentucky. Following his transfer to UCLA, the California native blossomed while playing close to home.

In 27 games, the 6'6" guard averaged 16.0 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.6 assists while shooting 44.1 percent from the floor and 35.3 percent from beyond the arc.

Juzang saved some of his best performances for the NCAA tournament. He dropped 28 points on Michigan in the Elite Eight and finished with 29 points and six rebounds in the Bruins' overtime loss to Gonzaga in the Final Four.

ESPN's Jonathan Givony provided a brief scouting report:

"The 20-year-old Juzang is intriguing to NBA teams due to his combination of size, standing 6-foot-7, and shot-making ability. He proved to be a difficult matchup for college wings to handle in one-on-one situations with his ability to score with his back to the basket, elevate in midrange spots, shoot off screens and make pull-up 3-pointers."

As much as he did to improve his draft stock in the Big Dance, suiting up for the Bruins in 2021-22 might be Juzang's best move. Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman didn't rank him among the 50 best players in the upcoming draft class, while The Athletic's Sam Vecenie pegged him at No. 60.

The UCLA Bruins have hit the jackpot after star recruit Dylan Andrews committed to play basketball for the school starting in 2022. 

Andrews announced his decision Friday, discussing the matter with Brandon Jenkins of 247Sports:

"Who wouldn't love the culture of winning and development. I committed to UCLA because it is the best place for me to grow as a player and a person. The coaching staff likes high character guys and work horses. That describes a portion of who I am. One thing I love about the program is how they get guys to the next level and how they encourage them to get that degree. That is important to me."

Andrews added that the Bruins' coaching staff—led by Mick Cronin—influenced his decision, per Jenkins: "The one thing I love about the coaching staff is their history of winning and pushing their guys past that invisible limit."

A standout talent at Windward High School in Los Angeles, he is one of the best point guard recruits in the country. He is rated as a 4-star prospect, sixth-best point guard and No. 31 overall player in the 2022 class, per 247Sports' composite rankings.

Andrews would fit the bill for what every head coach in the country wants out of a point guard because of his diverse skill set, with Shotgun Spratling of 247Sports offering this scouting report: "The 6'4", 180-pound Andrews has great size for the point guard position and he uses it well, attacking the boards. He is Windward's floor general, both in position and the way he approaches the game as a lead-by-example player. He likes to push the pace when he has the ball in his hands."

Every school is looking for a dynamic playmaker to build their offense around. The Bruins were able to land one of the best in the country, with Andrews likely to be a huge difference-maker for them as soon as he steps on campus. 

Andrews was not the only addition for the Bruins on Friday. Rutgers grad transfer Myles Johnson also chose UCLA over Stanford.

The UCLA Bruins surpassed all expectations by going from the First Four to the Final Four during the 2021 NCAA men's tournament, and head coach Mick Cronin received a contract extension as a result.

"I love being at UCLA. The commitment from our players over the past two seasons has been rewarding."@CoachMickCronin has signed a two-year contract extension at @UCLA.

DETAILS: https://t.co/z9JkThtue4 pic.twitter.com/ZtPA93ErBW

— UCLA Men’s Basketball (@UCLAMBB) April 8, 2021

Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports first reported the news.

It wasn't just that UCLA made the Final Four but how it did so that stood out.

It overcame a double-digit deficit and outlasted Michigan State in a hard-fought overtime battle in the First Four, upset the sixth-seeded BYU Cougars by 11 points in the first round, persevered again in overtime against Alabama in the Sweet 16 and then used a dominant defensive performance to stun top-seeded Michigan in the Elite Eight.

The run only came to an end when Jalen Suggs drilled a buzzer-beater from just inside half court to propel Gonzaga to a victory in the Final Four matchup.

Such an impressive showing during the tournament was surely a welcome development after the Bruins were somewhat inconsistent at the start of Cronin's tenure.

They went 19-12 during his first season in 2019-20 and barely made the Big Dance in 2020-21 at 17-9 on Selection Sunday. They lost their final three regular-season games and their first contest in the Pac-12 tournament to Oregon State before bouncing back in dramatic fashion.

Expectations are now sky-high for Cronin's bunch entering the next campaign.

UCLA checks in at No. 3 in very early rankings from Jeff Goodman of Stadium and No. 2 on the list from ESPN's Jeff Borzello.

UCLA forward Jalen Hill announced his retirement from basketball Tuesday via Instagram, citing anxiety and depression among the reasons he's leaving the sport behind.

Hill, who stepped away from the team for personal reasons in February, said he has been planning to announce his decision for a while but waited until his teammates completed their run to the Final Four out of respect for their journey.

"I just had to distance myself because the headspace I was in, it was damaging the team," Hill said in a nearly six-minute video he posted. "So I didn't want to restrict them from achieving their goals, too."

The redshirt junior said his mental health issues began following his arrest in China in 2017. Hill was detained with teammates LiAngelo Ball and Cody Riley for alleged shoplifting while abroad for an NCAA game against Georgia Tech.

He said his anxiety and depression became more problematic as the coronavirus pandemic began surging across the globe. Hill played 14 games in 2020-21 before stepping away from the team.

He averaged 6.5 points and 5.9 rebounds per contest.

Since stepping away from basketball, Hill said he's been able to refocus his priorities and not worry about living up to others' expectations:

"Like, I never felt this happy before in my life. Like, I just wake up and I'm just happy to be alive and it sounds crazy to say, but it’s just true and I've never felt like this in my life, and it was hard to me to go back to the team when I was trying to go back to a past life when I was trying to live up to somebody's expectations of me, trying to live up to somebody's perception of how my life should be instead of just being who I am.

"That's the greatest gift you could ever give to anybody is just being who you are and I was doing stuff that was not me, so when I figured out that I couldn't really go back, especially all the good stuff that’s been happening to me recently."

Hill entered college as the No. 65 overall recruit in 2017, according to 247Sports Composite, and settled on the Bruins after considering offers from Arizona, Oregon, Michigan, Oklahoma and USC.

Legendary former UCLA coach John Wooden once said, "Whatever you do in life, surround yourself with smart people who'll argue with you."

If UCLA coach Mick Cronin had tried to say the Pac-12 would dominate the 2021 NCAA men's basketball tournament, he would have had a lot of people arguing with him. Specifically, a lot of Big Ten supporters and experts who favor metrics when making projections.

From KenPom.com to the NCAA NET rankings, all the metrics favored Big Ten teams coming into the tournament. USC and Colorado got some love, but not many foresaw the success of UCLA and Oregon State, and few gave Oregon the credit it has proved it deserves. What metrics fail to take into account is the unpredictability of March Madness.

The Big Ten sent nine teams to the 68-team field, but only No. 1 Michigan is left after the round of 32. The SEC, ACC and Big East each have two representatives in the next round, but no conference is better represented than the Pac-12 after it nearly went perfect in the First Four and first two rounds. UCLA, USC, Oregon State and Oregon are all still dancing.

The Conference of Champions has a better chance than any other to produce a champion.

"I feel like we don't get the respect that we deserve," Oregon senior guard Chris Duarte said in his postgame news conference. "It looks good on our conference. It tells you guys that our conference, we have talent, and we are really good."

Colorado was the only team to lose, as the No. 5 seed Buffaloes fell to No. 4 Florida State in the East Region's second round. The other four programs had impressive showings.

The final game of the second round was possibly the most memorable of the weekend. No. 6 USC throttled No. 3 Kansas 85-51 to advance in the West Region. The Jayhawks didn't have the same firepower of years past, but it's Kansas—the Sweet 16 is an expectation for a historically elite team that is coached by one of the game's elite, Bill Self.

USC is a football school in a city that is mostly ambivalent about college basketball, but for the Angelenos who haven't been paying attention all season, this is now a basketball school.

Led by the Mobley brothers, Evan and Isaiah, the Trojans steamrolled the Jayhawks, shooting 57.1 percent from the field and an even better 61.1 percent from behind the arc. Head coach Andy Enfield is back in the Sweet 16 for the second time in his career, having done so last in 2013 when he coached another bracket buster, Florida Gulf Coast.

USC was the best defensive team in the conference this year, and its length bothered Kansas on both ends of the floor. But the length of Evan and Isaiah, who are 7'0" and 6'10", was particularly deadly. The brothers accounted for all four of the Trojans' blocks, and with no clear lanes or clear plays, the Jayhawks jacked up bad shots. It showed, as Kansas shot a dismal 29.0 percent from the field.

Isaiah finished with 17 points, eight rebounds and four assists, while his little brother had a tremendous stat line of 10 points, 13 rebounds, three blocks, five assists, one steal and a single turnover. Evan is mobile, athletic and a lock to be a top-three pick in the 2021 NBA draft.

But that's looking ahead a little too far. USC's next challenge is another Pac-12 team, Oregon, which ensures the conference will have at least one team in the Elite Eight.

No. 7 Oregon did not play its first game of the tournament against VCU because of COVID-19 issues within the Rams program. It had a layoff before a date with No. 2 Iowa and the best player in the game, Luka Garza, the projected Naismith Player of the Year.

The Ducks let Garza do his thing, and the big senior tried to put the Hawkeyes on his back. He dropped 36 points and grabbed nine rebounds. But Oregon's strategy to contain everyone else worked. Garza and Joe Wieskamp were the only Iowa starters to score.

"We knew Garza was going to get his points. Our plan was get stops and play defense, play hard, get on the boards," Duarte said. "And that's what we did."

No. 11 UCLA (East Region) and No. 12 Oregon State (Midwest Region) look unbeatable. The Bruins needed to beat Michigan State in a play-in game just to get to the round of 64, and the Beavers had to win the Pac-12 tournament just to get into the NCAA tournament.

But UCLA then beat BYU and Abilene Christian to reach the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2017 and the first time in Cronin's two seasons. Oregon State found its offensive stride at the right time of the season to beat Tennessee and Oklahoma State.

"The Pac-12 has shown exactly how strong it was. I'm so proud of the conference. And for us to be the champions of the regular season, I'm proud of that, and I'm proud of the guys the way they responded," Oregon coach Dana Altman said. "Mick has done a great job at UCLA, Wayne [Tinkle] has done a great job at Oregon State, USC's doing great, and Tad [Boyle] at Colorado. Our league has done great, and I hope we can keep it up."

The other three teams are hoping to keep it up as well.

"This is literally what you dream for," Isaiah Mobley said. "Like it says in the songs. Future says, 'Beat the odds, do numbers and remain humble.' Just try to keep that motto and keep it rolling from here on out."

It's not quite Wooden, but the motivational sentiment is the same.