BAYLOR BEATDOWN: BEARS CLAIM TITLE
Bears hand a then-undefeated Gonzaga team first loss of season in national championship
INDIANAPOLIS» Heck, everyone’s entitled to an off night. But that beatdown Baylor put on undefeated Gonzaga with the national title on the line — nobody saw that coming.
The fresh-as-can-be Bears obliterated wobbly-legged Gonzaga’s march to perfection Monday night in an 86-70 runaway that brought this once-downtrodden program’s first national title back home to Waco, Texas.
Jared Butler scored 22 points and MaCio Teague had 19 for the Bears (282), who were ranked second or third in the AP poll all year long — but never first, all because of one team.
Pounding the offensive glass and
scrapping for — and winning — the lion’s share of the 50-50 balls, Baylor never let this one come down to a Jalen Suggs miracle. The Gonzaga freshman’s buzzer-beater from near the half-court logo got the Zags to the final in a game that stood as their first true test of the season.
They passed against UCLA. Against Baylor? Not even close.
After running to a 19-point lead early, the Bears never let Gonzaga get
any closer than nine.
Guard Davion Mitchell — nicknamed “Off Night” because so many opponents encounter one when they go against him — finished with 15 points and did his best on Suggs. The freshman finished with 22 points — most of them after the Zags were well into desperation mode — and likely will be heading to the NBA lottery next.
Gonzaga’s first loss in 32 games this season — 36 dating to 2019-20 — leaves Indiana’s 1975-76 team as the last to go undefeated.
Baylor was up 9-0 after 2 ½ minutes and the Bulldogs faced only their fourth doubledigit deficit of the year at 11-1.