Baylor’s national championship season cannot be lost to perfection.
It is true that perfection was lost: BCA finished Gonzaga’s race in the 32–0 season with an 86–70 victory Monday in the NCAA Tournament National Championship game. Baylor – whose bid for perfection ended with a 71–58 loss to Kansas on February 27 – squandered the chance to become the Bulldogs’ first undefeated team after Indiana in 1975–76.
The Beers (28–2) completed that with a near-perfect two-way performance that drew part of a spectacular performance in a tournament where COVID-19 was an evergreen backdrop.
“After 30 days in the bubble, you don’t want to be around each other,” said boiler guard Jared Butler. “You’re around all day. It’s tough. I don’t know how we got through it, but we got through it. We loved each other. We played so many games of Connect Four.”
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Beers displayed the winning combination in the final four. Baylor defeated Houston 78–59 in the national semifinals and finished with a two-game margin of 17.5 point wins per game. The only school in the extended bracket era it was better At that stage were 2015–16 Villanova (23.5 points per game) and 1989–90 UNLV (19.5 ppg). It is worth keeping this reputable company.
This long-awaited Gonzaga National Championship was about to be coronated. The Bulldogs defeated UCLA in the Final Four on Jalan Sugg’s overtime buzzer-beater for a 93–90 victory on Saturday. It was one of the greatest games in the history of the tournament. Monday seemed like a logical place to win the crown of one of the game’s biggest teams.
Yet Baylor coach Scott Drew drew inspiration from the school’s only Heiman Trophy winner to inspire this team.
“One thing I can tell you about our friends is when the best is needed, the best is usually provided,” Drew said. “As (Robert Griffin III) always says, ‘No pressure. No diamonds.” Our people, the better the opponent, the better they play. They like to be the first. Winning a conference for the first time since 1950. Winning the first national championship. This really inspired him. “
This was clear from the beginning. Bagalore jumped out to a 9–0 lead, then an 11–1 lead, in the first section – with two quick fouls on the Sugs. This was the biggest loss Gonzaga faced throughout the tournament. Boiler took a 33–14 lead with 7:51 left in the first half, at which point he had zero turnovers.
Beers led the defense with a new-age championship combination and 3-point shot. Boiler hit 7 of 12 from 3-point range in the first half, with MaCio Teague and Davion Mitchell combining for 24 points. Gonzaga was only 1-of-7 from that range, but the Bulldogs still managed to get back within 10, extending Baylor’s lead over Beflor to 47-37.
“We’re really good defensively, and I felt that we made things harder tonight,” Drew said. “Gonzaga missed some shots that they usually do. I really credit my friends for making it difficult.”
Butler hit back-to-back 3-pointers to start the second half with a great performance, finishing with 22 points, seven assists and six rebounds. Gonzaga led by nine, but Beiler effectively put the game back at 7–0, ending with a perfect order.
Gonzaga’s Corey Kispert put in the basket, but his shot was blocked by Mark Wytle. Adam Flailer counterattacked Butler to start the break, and he gave Flailer a cross-court pass – which buried a 3-pointer for a 67–51 lead with 12:52 remaining.
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Gonzaga never threatened again. The Bears ended the Bulldogs’ perfect season, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a big story. After all, everything is big in Texas, isn’t it?
“Hey Texas, we have a national championship too,” Drew shouted during the presentation. “The state deserves it.”
It most likely came from a place. Byers became the first Texas school to win a national championship since Texas Western – now UTEP – in 1966, shocked Kentucky 72–65. Baylor (1948), Houston (1983, 1984) and Texas Tech (2019) were the only other schools in Texas. To play in the national championship game before Monday.
The Bears also legalized the Big 12 and became the first school in 1946 since Oklahoma State to win the national championship since Oklahoma State. Baylor dominated the tournament with an eight-man rotation, high scoring offense and half-court. The defense that beat its six opponents by an average margin of 15.3 ppg wins. The best comparison would be Michigan State, which won its six games in 2000 by a similar margin.
For Drew, it was the culmination of an 18-year run that began in his first season in 2003–04 with an 8–21 season. Scott’s father Homer and brother Bryce watched from the stand, a coaching family that has been part of the March Madness story since the 1990s.
“I can tell you in the coaching fraternity in a Final Four, which is like winning a national championship,” Drew said. “Usually there is some luck that goes into it. We didn’t have to be lucky because our guys were dominating this whole tournament.
Boiler also won the first national championship since the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced the cancellation of the 2020 men’s and women’s basketball tournaments. It was an unexpected result in an unprecedented time in our nation’s history, and a reminder that perfection is not always what it seems. Nothing should be lost in it – even if it came at Gonzaga’s expense. The NCAA crowned the champion for the first time, just as it did with Virginia in 2019.
How Butler, the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player, will remember this run. From Connect Four to Final Four.
“I think winning it this year is harder than ever,” Butler said. “Stagnation, testing and sacrifice for your social life, so that you can play a basketball game. I’m just thankful that we were able to play and the tournament could still go on. It’s good to say we can do it. in between. “
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