Mick Cronin on Gonzaga: '3 things' make Bulldogs great

Ahead of No. 2 seed UCLA taking on No. 3 seed Gonzaga for the third time in three years, UCLA's head coach was asked what makes playing Gonzaga so tough

LAS VEGAS — UCLA head coach Mick Cronin is very familiar with Gonzaga. Even though the Bruins and Bulldogs have only ever played seven times, the teams have battled the last two seasons including an epic Final Four encounter in 2021 that Gonzaga fans will remember fondly. In the teams' last meeting, the Bulldogs also beat the Bruins in a regular season matchup a year ago. That game was held at the same place Thursday's Sweet 16 showdown will be played, T-Mobile Arena. 

Ahead of No. 2 seed UCLA taking on No. 3 seed Gonzaga for the third time in three years, Cronin was asked what makes playing the Bulldogs so tough. 

"They have three things," he responded. "The coaching is a plus-plus, and then Drew Timme and shooting. And not just shooting from one guy. They've got multiple shooters."

The numbers back up Cronin's analysis. 

In last year's game against UCLA, Timme scored 18 points on 6-of-12 shooting and Gonzaga shot 39% from deep. In the Final Four game, Timme put in a team high 25 points on 11-of-15 shooting and the Bulldogs shot 33% from long range. 

UCLA's Jaime Jaquez Jr. played in both of those games against Gonzaga. He pointed to the Bulldogs' overall offense as the reason the team is so tough to beat. 

"I think the offense obviously has been a big focal point of their team," he said. "And I think that's just constant throughout the three years that I've been here, being able to play them. They're always tough to guard in transition, the pick and roll as well."

Thursday's Sweet 16 matchup will tip off at approximately 6:45 PT. If the game is anything like the last time the two teams met in the NCAA Tournament, it will be another classic. 

Watch Cronin's full press conference above.