Title quest arrives at destination
Baylor made a mockery of the first Final Four game, stifling Houston for a chance at the program’s first national title. Then Gonzaga made miracles happen, winning on one of the greatest shots in NCAA Tournament history.
The showdown between Baylor and Gonzaga that was called off in December because of the coronavirus pandemic was finally back on, with the biggest stakes of all: The two best teams all season played for the national championship Monday night in a game that ended too late for this edition.
The Bears opened the first Final Four in two years by overwhelming Houston 78-59 on Saturday, cruising to their first national championship game since 1948.
Gonzaga’s free-flowing offense was struck down in the nightcap by UCLA, which slogged the game down enough to get it to overtime. Freshman Jalen Suggs came to the Bulldogs’ rescue, banking in a 3-pointer from just inside the half-court line at the buzzer for a 93-90 win.
The bid for the first undefeated team since Indiana in 1976 was still intact.
Baylor had seemed to lose some of its defensive mojo during a three-week COVID-19 pause late in the season. The rotations, not as sharp. The closeouts, not quite as close. But the Bears (27-2) rolled through the first four NCAA Tournament games, winning at a nearly 15-points clip, and seemed to have an extra jolt of energy in their first Final Four game since 1950.
Flying around Lucas Oil Stadium, Baylor had the Cougars (28-4) stumbling across the floor with wave after wave of defenders. The Bears made every shot a chore for Houston, switching or trapping ball screens to prevent open looks and collapsing in the paint whenever the Cougars did break free.
The Zags (31-0) were caught in a totally different game against UCLA — a neck-and-neck instant classic.
Drew Timme took a late charge against Johnny Juzang in regulation to send it to overtime. After Juzang scored on a putback, Suggs provided the did-that-just-happen flourish, dribbling over the half court and letting it fly for the first buzzer-beater of the tournament.
“He’s got that magical aura,” Few said. “It’s been crazy this year how many he’s made in practice where (it’s on) last-second shots. I felt pretty good. I was staring right at it. I was like, ‘That’s in,’ and it was.”
A miracle finish, setting up a title game college basketball fans have waited two years to see.