Basketball

Top Plays: No. 1 Gonzaga dominates No. 2 UCLA in heavyweight matchup

Updated Nov. 24, 2021 12:30 a.m. ET

No. 1 vs. No. 2 is the equivalent of college basketball nirvana, and that's what fans were hoping to get on Tuesday night.

The top-ranked Gonzaga Bulldogs went to battle with the second-ranked UCLA Bruins in the Good Sam Empire Classic in Las Vegas.

But in the end, Gonzaga proved there were levels between them and the rest of the country in a dominant 83-63 win, leaving UCLA in the dust along the way.

Four of the five Gonzaga starters scored in double figures as the Bruins struggled to keep the pace.

Here are the top plays from this clash of the titans.

No. 1 Gonzaga 83, No. 2 UCLA 63

All Zags

Gonzaga made a massive statement in the first half, dominating UCLA at every turn to build a 45-25 lead at halftime.

Projected No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft Chet Holmgren stuffed the stat sheet in the first half with nine points and three blocks.

In the second half, Holmgren continued to show off his varied skill set that makes him so coveted at the next level.

He would finish the game with 15 points, six rebounds and four blocks while his teammate Andrew Nembhard finished with 24 points, five rebounds and six assists.

The Zags shot 56% from the field and 39.1% from beyond the arc. Meanwhile, the Bruins struggled to get anything to land, shooting just 34.8% from the field and a paltry 16.7% from the three-point line. Jaime Jaquez Jr. was the Bruins' leading scorer, dropping 19 points, six rebounds and two assists.

The return of Dick Vitale

The voice of college basketball, Dick Vitale, made his return to the air to call this matchup after a recent bout with cancer.

His return was a welcome sight to the college basketball world.

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CBK - Gonzaga Bulldogs vs. UCLA Bruins - 11/24/2021

Chet Holmgren