Gonzaga Easily Bounces UCLA From Sweet 16 74-62

This game was a lot like the UAB game last weekend. It was never in doubt.

Unfortunately, UCLA was on the losing end of this one.

Gonzaga took the lead when Kevin Pangos hit a three point jumper with 17:14 left in the first half and the Zags never looked back.

They went up by as many as 11 in the first half and finished with a 7-point lead as the teams went into the locker room.

UCLA started the second half strong with a short 6-0 run to close the Bulldogs lead to just one point with 18:06 to play. But, then, it happened.

You know what. The second half run by UCLA's opponent. This time, it started a little earlier than normal.

Gonzaga went on an 18-3 run over the course of the next nine minutes to take a 53-37 lead.

Domantas Sabonis gave the Zags a 19-point lead with 2:40 to go. The Bruins cut it to as little as 11 but that was the best they could do and the final score was 74-62.

While UCLA's starters avoided foul trouble, they struggled with a lot of their shots. Bryce Alford was 3-11 from the field and Kevin Looney was 4-8. The team was only 3-13 from behind the three point line. They were outrebounded offensively and defensively 50-39 by the Bulldogs.

While both Tony Parker and NP4 put up 16 points each for the Bruins, it just wasn't enough.

Junior Przemek Karnowski led all scorers with 18 points for Gonzaga.

While this team had a nice run in the NCAA Tournament that few expected, the season ends with another disappointing loss for the Bruins, among a season filled with disappointing losses.

Unfortunately, we'll never know what could have been if we had an Athletic Director who didn't push the panic button when replacing Ben Howland and had hired a better coach who could actually recruit enough players to fill our bench as well as an actual point guard.

Here's hoping that day comes sooner rather than later. Maybe Indiana, Tennessee or St. John's will be impressed by our back-to-back Steve-16 appearances and convince Steve Alford to go coach their team. We already know that Steve Alford will sign a contract as soon as someone makes him a better offer. The question we are left wondering is: "Is there an Athletic Director in Division I who is a bigger buffoon than Dan Guerrero?"

Go Bruins!