UCLA vs. Gonzaga prediction: Sweet 16 March Madness 2023 picks Thursday

If you compare these two teams based on a full-season sample, there’s a compelling case to be made for either side ahead of Thursday’s contest, which features arguably the best offense and the best defense in all of college basketball.

That team featured superstar defender Jaylen Clark, who ranks third on the team in scoring and boasted the nation’s eighth-highest steal rate before suffering a season-ending injury before the Pac-12 Tournament.Consider this: with Clark on the floor, UCLA was allowing fewer than 85 points per 100 possessions and was a whopping 23.7 points better per 100 possessions.

It seems clear: UCLA’s defense isn’t the same without its star defender. And that’s a major issue against Gonzaga.Icon Sportswire via Getty Images This isn’t the most talented supporting cast of Timme’s tenure, but secondary scorer Julian Strawther has an NBA future and is shooting 42.3 percent from three – one of five regulars shooting 36.8 percent or better from long range.The Bulldogs rank just 75th in adjusted defensive efficiency.

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