“The slipper still fits,” probably isn’t a phrase that applies to Gonzaga men’s basketball’s journey to the Final Four this year. However, that slipper may fit better on the feet of GU’s opponent Saturday, the UCLA Bruins.
UCLA as a program has won the most national titles in NCAA history with 11 and also has the most undefeated regular seasons with four, a majority of those prolific accolades coming during the John Wooden era from 1948-1975. So the Bruins wouldn’t seem privy to ever being proclaimed a “Cinderella” team, but after a tumultuous 2020-21 tournament saw them barely squeeze into the NCAA tournament as a First Four team, many counted the team out from even making it to the round of 64.