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Gonzaga s Drew Timme (2), Jalen Suggs (1) and Corey KispertDarron Cummings/Associated Press
INDIANAPOLIS From Nov. 26 through the early evening of April 5, the 2020-21 Gonzaga Bulldogs felt like a Death Star laying waste to everything in their path.
They opened the season with an even-more-convincing-than-the-final-margin 102-90 victory over preseason No. 6 Kansas. The following morning, the Zags bludgeoned Auburn by 23 points. Game No. 3 against West Virginia got a little dicey when Jalen Suggs suffered a lower-leg injury and Drew Timme fouled out on an off night, but they still eked out the victory.
From there, it was 27 consecutive wins by double digits.
1983 Houston
Phi Slama Jama. Those three words are enough to conjure up memories of the Cougars and their rare athletic talent. Clyde Drexler on the outside and Hakeem Olajuwon on the inside drew most of the attention, but it was lefty forward Michael Young that led the team in scoring. Houston only lost to Syracuse and Virginia early in the season before running off a 25-game win streak entering the Final Four. The Cougars high-flying performance against No. 1 Louisville in their national semifinal left no doubt what would happen to what seemed to be an overmatched North Carolina State team. Except the Wolfpack somehow stayed close and stunned the Cougars on a last-second dunk by Lorenzo Charles. You may have seen that highlight once or twice before.
JUDD: No more madness as Baylor celebrates national title
Joe Judd, joe.judd@pioneergroup.com
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Baylor guard Jared Butler, right, celebrates with teammate guard MaCio Teague (31) in front of Gonzaga guard Jalen Suggs (1) at the end of the championship game in the men s Final Four NCAA college basketball tournament, Monday, April 5, 2021, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy) Show MoreShow Less
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Baylor guard Jared Butler, right, celebrates with teammate guard MaCio Teague (31) in front of Gonzaga guard Jalen Suggs (1) at the end of the championship game in the men s Final Four NCAA college basketball tournament, Monday, April 5, 2021, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy) Show MoreShow Less
Baylor foils Gonzaga s bid for perfection, wins NCAA basketball title Suggs, Gonzaga crash hard in NCAA title game April 6, 2021 6:57am Text size Copy shortlink:
Before knowing if the college basketball season would even get to March Madness, a huge letdown came in early December when the Gonzaga-Baylor 1-2 matchup was canceled due to the coronavirus.
As if Monday s showdown didn t already need more buildup. It would become one of the most highly anticipated national championships ever.
And yet what transpired on the biggest stage in Indianapolis ended up being another type of letdown.
Gonzaga, seemingly exhausted emotionally coming off Jalen Suggs magical buzzer-beater two nights earlier, dug a fast double-digit hole too deep to overcome in an 86-70 loss against Baylor at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Gonzaga vs. Baylor: Prediction, Odds, Spread For NCAA National Championship Game
04/05/21 AT 10:45 AM
After all of the upsets and Cinderella stories, the 2021 NCAA Tournament comes down to the March Madness favorites. No. 1 seeds Gonzaga and Baylor meet Monday night in college basketball’s national championship game as each team tries to cap off a phenomenal season by winning its first title.
With a perfect record, Gonzaga entered the tournament as the clear favorite to be the last team standing in the field of 68. Baylor had the second-best championship odds of any tournament team, and the Bears have played as well as anyone over the past few weeks.