Gonzaga Projected to Blowout UCLA in First Half of Final Four

The UCLA Bruins have been the Cinderella story of the 2021 NCAA Tournament. Entering March Madness as a play-in team, the No. 11 seed Bruins have ripped off upset after upset en route to the school's first Final Four appearance since 2008.

But it seems like the clock is about to strike midnight on UCLA. The oddsmakers believe that the No. 1 seed Gonzaga Bulldogs are going to blowout the Bruins in the first half of Saturday's Final Four matchup, listing Gonzaga as an 8-point favorite in the first half, according to WynnBET. That means Vegas believes Gonzaga will be leading by 8 points or more after 20 minutes.

This should come as no surprise. Gonzaga has been absolutely throttling opponents in the NCAA Tournament and has yet to play a close game. In fact, Gonzaga has defeated its four opponents by an average of 24.0 points per game (PPG) in March Madness. No team has even finished within 15 points of the Bulldogs in that stretch.

The same has been true in the first half of those games as well. Gonzaga's average lead at halftime has been 15.25 PPG and the Bulldogs have taken a double-digit lead into the second half in all four games thus far.

While the Bruins have also been pretty dominant, boasting three double-digit wins in five appearances, they've played two games that went into overtime. And UCLA barely escaped the No. 1 seed Michigan Wolverines with a two-point victory.

Gonzaga is just in a different stratosphere from anyone UCLA has played thus far. The Bulldogs are expected to prove that in the first half of Saturday's matchup. But based on the Bruins' performance in the NCAA Tournament this year, this could be closer than anticpated.