Baylor vs. Gonzaga National Championship
An 86-70 win spoiled Gonzaga’s dream of being an undefeated N.C.A.A. men’s basketball champion. Gonzaga is seeking to become the first men’s team to finish unbeaten since Bob Knight’s Indiana club went 32-0 on the way to the 1976 national championship. The Bulldogs are also seeking their first N.C.A.A. title, though they have had plenty of deep tournament runs. They lost in the 2017 title game to a North Carolina team coached by Roy Williams, who announced his retirement on Friday and had three titles in his career.
Coach Scott Drew and Baylor are also seeking their program’s first national championship. The Bears are appearing in the title game for the first time since 1948. Seventy-three years after it last played for a national title, Baylor ostentatiously ascended as a modern power of men’s college basketball on Monday night, winning the championship of a pandemic-disrupted season and extinguishing Gonzaga’s ambitions for end-to-end perfection.
The first half of the national championship game unfolded as a dream scenario for Baylor and a nightmare for Gonzaga, one half from seeing its goal of a perfect season blown out of the water. Gonzaga’s star freshman Jalen Suggs got two quick fouls, but the Bulldogs survived a potential early knockout and trailed 47-37 at the break thanks to a 21-12 run to close the half. Except for one canceled game, competitors in the N.C.A.A. basketball tournaments were largely not disrupted by the coronavirus.
Except for one canceled game, competitors in the N.C.A.A. basketball tournaments were largely not disrupted by the coronavirus. But the wider impact of the championships, which welcomed a limited number of in-person spectators, is yet to be seen. If there are implications, they could be hard to detect, infectious disease experts warn. According to Gonzaga and Baylor are the No. 1 and No. 2 most efficient offenses in N.C.A.A. men’s basketball, respectively. The expectation is that this will be a fast-paced game, but Baylor’s bench proved its depth in its win over Houston, finishing with 32 points.
“I think that’s the key to our success all year,” on “Those guys are a tremendous spark off the bench. They can score the ball; they play defense; they do everything the starters do. I mean, it’s kind of like if one man is having an off night, the bench usually picks us up.”
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