The 2021 men’s college basketball national championship game is officially set. No. 1 seeds Gonzaga and Baylor, arguably the two best teams all season, will meet for the title after earning semifinal victories on Saturday night. Ironically, Gonzaga and Baylor were scheduled to play in the regular season back on Dec. 5, but the game was canceled due to COVID-19 protocols.
No. 1 – Gonzaga vs. No. 11 – UCLA
FINAL: 93-90 – Gonzaga (OT)
In what was most likely the best game of this year’s tournament, and maybe the entire season, No. 1 seed Gonzaga (31-0) kept its undefeated season alive, defeating No. 11 seed UCLA in overtime, 93-90, with one of the craziest finishes to a game in college basketball history.
With the game tied, 90-90, and 3.3 seconds left in overtime, Jalen Suggs took an inbound pass, sprinted up the floor, and just after getting over half-court, pulled-up for a game-winning three-pointer; as the buzzer sounded, the ball banked off the backboard and through the net, giving Gonzaga the thrilling victory.
UCLA gave the nation’s top-ranked the hardest fight its seen all season, Gonzaga had won 27 consecutive games by a double-digit margin heading into Saturday night’s matchup. The 45-minute barnburner featured 19 lead changes, 15 ties, and neither team led by more than seven points.
Right from the opening tipoff, UCLA showed it was ready to play with the undefeated, heavily-favored, No. 1 seed. UCLA controlled the pace early on, and led by as much as six in the opening period. But, Gonzaga ended the first half on a 15-8 run, and took a 45-44 edge into the locker room at the break.
Both sides traded punches throughout the entire second half and overtime. Gonzaga went up seven points, its largest lead of the game, with 11:25 left in regulation thanks to a layup from Drew Timme. UCLA quickly made it a one-possession game again less than two minutes later. A pair of free throws from Jamie Jaquez Jr. tied the game, 81-81, with 0:43 left in the second half, which eventually sent the game to overtime.
Timme scored Gonzaga’s first six points of overtime, giving his team an 87-83 lead with 3:20 left in the extra frame with another layup. Timme killed UCLA’s interior defense with impressive, and smooth finishes in the post all night long.
Andrew Nembhard hit a three to put Gonzaga up five with a little over a minute to go. UCLA responded with a three-pointer from Jaquez Jr., followed by a layup from Johnny Juzang, which knotted the score at 90-90 with just seconds to play. Of course, UCLA just ran out of time, as Suggs hit the game-winning shot just moments later.
Timme led Gonzaga with 25 points, while also grabbing four rebounds and getting a pair of assists. Joel Ayayi added 22 points for Gonzaga, along with six rebounds, two assists, and two steals. Suggs finished with 16 points, six assists, five rebounds, and two steals. Nembhard dished-out a game-high eight assists and scored 11 points. Corey Kispert, the fifth Gonzaga player to finish in double figures, scored 15 points, along with five rebounds, five assists, and two steals.
In a losing effort, Juzang scored a game-high 29 points on 12-of-18 shooting to lead UCLA, while also playing all 45 minutes of the game. Jaquez Jr. finished with 19 points, along with five rebounds and four assists. Cody Riley had a solid night, finishing with a 14-point, 10-rebound double-double. Tyger Campbell added 17 points, while also recording a team-high seven assists.
Gonzaga will look to become the first undefeated national champion since 1976 (Indiana), while also trying win its first title in school history. Gonzaga will be making its second national title game appearance in school history. Gonzaga made it to the final game of the tournament in 2017, but lost to North Carolina, 71-65.
No. 1 – Baylor vs. No. 2 – Houston
FINAL: 78-59 – Baylor
No. 1 seed Baylor completely dominated No. 2 seed Houston in the first matchup of the night, advancing to the national championship game with a 78-59 win.
Despite having one of the top-ranked defenses in the country this season, Houston couldn’t stop Baylor’s offense. Baylor was also, by far, the most talented team Houston faced in this year’s tournament, after playing four consecutive double-digit seeded teams, facing a No. 1 could seem like running into a buzz saw.
Baylor jumped out to an 11-point edge in the first 10 minutes of the game, giving Houston its largest deficit of the tournament, at least up until that point. Things went from bad to worse for Houston, and quickly. Baylor used an 11-0 run to stretch its lead 38-17 with 4:10 until halftime.
Houston was outscored 18-3 over the final 6:35 of the first half, and went 6:00 without hitting a field goal, getting just one point on a free throw over that span. A layup from Marcus Sasser with 0:35 on the clock put an end to that drought. However, Baylor had built up a comfortable lead, taking a 45-20 advantage into the locker room at the break. Baylor’s 45 points were the most Houston had given up in a first half all season.
Houston played a much more competitive second half, but the hole from the first frame was just way too deep to get out of. Baylor’s lead never dipped lower than 16 points in the final 20 minutes, despite Houston shooting just over 48% (14-for-29) in the period.
Jared Butler was one of five Baylor players to finish in double figures, scoring all of his team-high 17 points in the first half. Butler shot an efficient 6-for-9 from the floor and was 4-for-5 from three-point range, while also adding five rebounds, four assists, and a pair of steals. Davion Mitchell finished with a double-double, scoring 12 points and recording 11 assists. Matthew Mayer added 12 points off the bench leading all Baylor reserves, a group that outscored Houston’s bench, 32-11.
Sasser scored a game-high 20 points to lead Houston, with 17 coming in the first half. As a team, Houston finished just 6-for-19 from three (31.6%). By himself, Sasser shot 5-for-9 from behind the arc. Quentin Grimes was the only other Houston player to finish in double figures, registering 13 points, despite being held scoreless in the first half.
Baylor is now just one game away from capturing its first national championship in program history. Baylor’s only prior appearance in the national championship game was in 1948, a 58-42 loss to Kentucky.
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The men’s college basketball national championship game will take place on Monday, April 5, and is scheduled to tipoff at 9 p.m. ET. Coverage of the championship game will be available on WGR starting at 7 p.m. ET.
