5 keys to victory for Gonzaga against UCLA in the Battle in Seattle

Mark Few and the Gonzaga Bulldogs have had many epic battles with the UCLA Bruins over the past two decades - and the fun continues this Saturday in Seattle.

Saturday will be the return game in a two-year 'home-and-home' series agreed to by these programs prior to last year. Gonzaga went down to the Intuit Dome in Inglewood last December and fell to UCLA, 65-62, in one of multiple agonizing non-conference losses taken by the squad in 2024-25.

Now, UCLA will come up to Seattle to take on Gonzaga at the Climate Pledge Arena. Gonzaga has yet to win at Climate Pledge since it was rebranded, losing last year to Kentucky despite an 18-point lead in the second half.

Saturday's game is Gonzaga's only remaining contest against a top 25 team, and is right on the border of being a Quad 1 opportunity - making this a crucial contest for the Zags as conference play looms.

Below is a look at five things Gonzaga needs to do on Saturday in Seattle to secure a win over the Bruins:

1. Control the pace

As usual, so much of Gonzaga's battle with UCLA will be dictated by the pace of the game. Mick Cronin loves to play a slow, methodical style of basketball with long possessions and limited transition opportunities. Currently, UCLA's adjusted tempo according to KenPom is among the lowest in the sport, coming in at 332nd overall.

Dec 6, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins head coach Mick Cronin talks with guard Eric Dailey Jr. (3). | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Gonzaga has two point guards who love to push the ball up the floor as often as possible, and that will unquestionably be part of the game plan on Saturday night. If Gonzaga can get UCLA out of their comfort zone, and can rely on their outstanding depth to keep guys fresh, it will be a big issue for a Bruins team that doesn't have as much depth, or familiarity, with a track meet-type contest.

2. Get into UCLA's depth

UCLA has played four high-major opponents this year: Arizona, Cal, Washington, and Oregon (RIP old Pac-12) and in those four games, the Bruins' bench has scored a TOTAL of 30 points, or 7.5 per game.

Meanwhile, Gonzaga's bench scored 38 points ... against Oklahoma alone. They are averaging 31.2 points against high major opponents, a massive difference between these two programs and a testament to how much coach Few trusts his bench mob this season.

UCLA in particular lacks depth up front. Xavier Booker, Tyler Bilodeau, and Eric Dailey are a very quality trio of frontcourt players, but after that, the only other rotation player over 6'9 is former San Diego center Steven Jamerson. Jamerson is a perfectly fine backup big, averaging 2.3 points and 2.7 rebounds in 12.7 minutes per game, but his track record against Gonzaga's bigs is not good to say the least.

Nov 14, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Trent Perry (0) and center Xavier Booker (1). | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

If Gonzaga can get Booker and/or Bilodeau on the bench in foul trouble, it creates a massive advantage against UCLA's thin frontcourt.

The other option for the Zags goes back to Key No. 1: run, run, and run some more. That will force Cronin to decide between running out his worn-down starting lineup or playing more of his bench players, which he has been hesitant to do this season.

Either way - advantage Gonzaga.

3. Big games from Mario and Braeden

UCLA has an excellent pair of starting guards in Donovan Dent and Skyy Clark, who will challenge Gonzaga's guard group on Saturday night. While Dent hasn't quite lived up to the ridiculously high expectations as one of the most notable transfer guards in the country, the 6'4 former New Mexico guard is still an elite player for the Bruins. He's averaging 12.0 points and 6.4 assists, and although Den'ts three-point shot is non-existent so far (7.7%), UCLA gets plenty of that from Clark.

Clark is having the best season of his career, averaging 12.7 points and shooting a blistering 51.4% from the three-point line, on an incredible 4.1 attempts per game.

Between Dent's physicality, downhill scoring ability, and facilitation skills, and Clark's marksmanship from the perimeter, this UCLA group will give Gonzaga all they can handle on the outside.

Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Braeden Smith (3). | Photo by Myk Crawford

Fortunately, Saint-Supery and Smith will have reinforcements - at least on the defensive end of the floor - in Jalen Warley, Emmanuel Innocenti, and Tyon Grant-Foster.

Still, it will be up to the two PGs to handle these guys a lot of the time on Saturday, and they will both be responsible for getting Gonzaga out in transition and taking care of the basketball against a tough defensive team that forces quite a few turnovers.

Tall task? Certainly, but these two helped lead Gonzaga to a win over Alabama - which has arguably the best backcourt in the country - and they can no doubt do it again in Seattle.

4. Efficient outside shooting

UCLA is holding opponents to 31.2% from three so far this season, although, as usual, that data is worth digging into a little bit more. Cal shot 11-22 (50%) against the Bruins last week, while Washington shot 9-24 (37.5%).

UCLA's solid defense on the perimeter is being carried by Sacramento State and Presbyterian shooting 12.5% and 10%, respectively, while most of the good teams they have faced shot it much better.

It's no secret that three-point shooting has not been a strength of Gonzaga's so far this season, although that turned around last week against Kentucky (9-18) and North Florida (10-18).

Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Steele Venters (2). | Photo by Myk Crawford

Still, UCLA will very likely do whatever they can to force Gonzaga into contested outside shots, and the Zags will need to find a way to shoot effectively from deep - while not getting too reliant on the perimeter.

In other words, if Steele Venters, Adam Miller, Emmanuel Innocenti, and Mario Saint-Supery have an open look - fire away. Everyone else? Keep working the offense to try to find a look closer to the rim.

5. Second chance opportunities

Both Gonzaga and UCLA are strong offensive rebounding teams, although to date, Gonzaga has been more effective at preventing opponents from getting second-chance opportunities.

Booker, Bilodeau, and Dailey are all solid rebounders, and Gonzaga will need both Graham Ike and Braden Huff to relentlessly crash the glass all game long. It's also crucial that the Zags stay rebounding effectively when Warley and/or Grant-Foster are in the game as well.

Gonzaga Bulldogs forward Graham Ike (15). | Photo by Myk Crawford

Lastly, Gonzaga's desire to push the tempo could play a role here as well. If UCLA is so focused on getting back on defense to prevent transition opportunities, that could result in them getting fewer offensive boards. Even though it could limit the Zags in transition, that's a trade-off Gonzaga should be happy with in this contest.

Gonzaga and UCLA tip off at 8:30 PM on Saturday, Dec. 13 in Seattle. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.

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