Adam Zagoria covers basketball at all levels. He is the author of two books and an award-winning journalist whose articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Sports Illustrated, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide.
Gonzaga, UCLA set Final Four rematch for Nov. 23 in Vegas
By ADAM ZAGORIA
Gonzaga and UCLA played in the most memorable game of the NCAA Tournament, and now coaches Mark Few and Mick Cronin have set a rematch.
The four-team field of UCLA, Bellarmine, Central Michigan and Gonzaga will compete on Monday, Nov. 22 and Tuesday, Nov. 23. The Bruins will take on Bellarmine on Nov. 22 and will face Gonzaga on Nov. 23. The two-day event will be televised by the ESPN family of networks.
“We look forward to playing Bellarmine and Gonzaga, and we’re even more excited to be able to play closer to home, so more of our fans can attend these games,” said UCLA coach Mick Cronin. “We are working on putting together a great schedule for the upcoming season, and we hope to announce another exciting series soon, beginning in Pauley Pavilion.”
Gonzaga will also play Duke Nov. 26, Norlander reported.
Gonzaga, of course, stunned UCLA in the national semifinals on April 3 thanks to a game-winning 3-pointer by Jalen Suggs off the window at the end of overtime. The Bulldogs then lost to Baylor in a title game that wasn’t nearly as close as the national semifinal with UCLA.
Entering this season, the Bulldogs lose Joel Ayayi, Corey Kispert and Jalen Suggs to the NBA Draft, but add five-stars Chet Holmgren and Hunter Sallis and former Iowa State guard Rasir Bolton.
UCLA returns NCAA Tournament starJohnny Juzang, Cody Riley and most of its core while adding Rutgers transfer big man Myles Johnson along with point guard Will McClendon and five-star small forward Peyton Watson.Follow Adam Zagoria on TwitterFollow ZAGSBLOGHoops on InstagramAnd Like ZAGS on Facebook
Adam Zagoria is a Basketball Insider who covers basketball at all levels. A contributor to The New York Times and SportsNet New York (SNY), he is also the author of two books and is an award-winning journalist and filmmaker. His articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide. He also won an Emmy award for his work on the SNY mini-documentary on Syracuse guard Tyus Battle.
A veteran Ultimate Frisbee player, he has competed in numerous National and World Championships and, perhaps more importantly, his teams won the Westchester Summer League (WSL) championships in 2011 and 2013.
He lives in Manhattan with his wife and children.
