The UCLA Bruins and Gonzaga Bulldogs have each been writing their own special story in the 2020-21 college basketball season. 

Which story will prevail and continue to be written and which one will come to an end?

GETTING YOU READY FOR THE 2021 MLB SEASON

Game: UCLA Bruins (22-9, 17-14 ATS) at Gonzaga Bulldogs (30-0, 16-12-2 ATS)

When: 8:34 PM ET, Saturday, April 3, 2021

Where: Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana

America’s Bookie Current Line: GON -14  Total: 145.5

TV Coverage: CBS

Gonzaga can become the first team since the 1976 Indiana Hoosiers to complete a perfect season with a national championship. Ironically, Hoosiers finished 32-0 that season. If head coach Mark Few’s team can pull it off, the Bulldogs will also finish a perfect 32-0.

UCLA is now just the second team in NCAA history to go from the First Four to the Final Four. VCU did it in 2011 as a No. 11 seed, the same seed the Bruins earned upon selection to March Madness.

The Bruins have had an interesting run. They had to come from behind against Michigan State in their First Four game. Then, head coach Mick Cronin’s team upset fifth-seeded BYU to advance and play another Cinderella in Abilene Christian.

We also have a pick for the other Final Four matchup. Take a look at our Houston vs. Baylor betting preview.

In the Sweet Sixteen, the Bruins appeared to have another upset over No. 2 seed Alabama, but the Crimson Tide hit a last-second three-pointer to send the game to overtime. UCLA would come through again and then get the ultimate upset, a 51-49 win over No. 1 Michigan to make it to the Final Four. 

UCLA holds the record for most NCAA championships, going back to the days of John Wooden. Now, they are just the sixth double-digit seed to make a Final Four.

Gonzaga is the largest favorite in a Final Four game since the 1990s. For some it seems too large a spread in so crucial a game, but consider the Bulldogs season. Only five times were the Bulldogs favored by fewer than 10 points. If you’ve had trouble winning your March Madness bets in the past, maybe it’s time to consider buying sports picks from Action Sports Picks.

Four of those games came early in the season against ranked opponents such as Iowa, Virginia, West Virginia, and Kansas. The only other time was Gonzaga’s Elite Eight game against USC where the Bulldogs were an 8.5-point favorite and won by 19.

UCLA is an unranked opponent that didn’t win either its conference regular season title or conference tournament. We absolutely crushed our last pick, we liked the OVER in our Clippers at Pelicans free pick. Take a look.

Now, the Bruins are an exceptional defense. They have held two teams to fewer than 50 points in the tournament. They can frustrate opponents with a toughness that has been instilled by Cronin. 

The problem is that UCLA is playing the best offense in the country. Gonzaga may be the best offensive team of all-time. They lead the nation in scoring and are first in offensive efficiency. Corey Kispert and Drew Timme both average over 18 points per game. Timme is averaging over 25 per game in the tourney.

The Bulldogs also lead the nation with a college basketball all-time record in two-point field goal shooting percentage (63.7 percent). USC was actually second in the nation in opponent two-point field goal percentage and you saw what happened to the Trojans.

It’s a huge spread, but Gonzaga is the type of team that can cover it. 

NCAAB Free Pick: GONZAGA -14