They held opponents under 60 points on 19 separate occasions this year, and only twice did they surrender more than 70 points in a game. The Bears shot them out of the gym, connecting on The only team to score more points against the Cougars this year was East Carolina in a head-scratching loss, and no opponent had shot better than It was an off night for a team that leans heavily on its defense to shoulder the load, but credit the Baylor offense for finding another gear.
Baylor began the season before a COVID outbreak shut things down for three weeks at the beginning of February. Upon returning, the Bears struggled with Iowa State before suffering their first loss to Kansas, and they fell to Oklahoma State in the Big 12 tournament. Despite convincing wins over Wisconsin , Villanova and Arkansas to reach the Final Four, they had never looked quite like the bona fide title contender they did prior to the COVID shutdown.
The Bears played terrific defense, shot the three-point ball with deadly accuracy of , and were led by the standout guard trio of Jared Butler, Davion Mitchell and MaCio Teague on both ends of the floor. It was all clicking against Houston, and for the first time in months, this team looks like a true threat to be the last team standing in March Madness.
The VCU team also played its way into the field with a First Four victory, but none of those teams mentioned above faced a juggernaut like Gonzaga.
In fact, none of them even faced a No. In a season that had seen Gonzaga win by double figures in all but one game, UCLA took the Bulldogs to the brink, matching them blow for blow all night.
This Bruins team is headed home, but it will forever be remembered as the best No. A face covering must be worn at all times. Face coverings may be lowered when actively eating or drinking at a designated seating location. Practice physical distancing and remain six feet apart. Social distancing markers will be identified throughout venues including security screenings, restrooms and concessions. Wash hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
Hand sanitizer will also be readily available at all host venues. Remain in your seating pod to ensure physical distancing from other groups.
Tickets will be assigned in pods to ensure distancing while seated. Who's going to surprise us all? Jump to Final Four and Player of the Year predictions. Check out Chet Holmgren breaking down his defensive prowess and what makes him such a skilled offensive player. It's just rare to have two elite bigs on the floor together for a national title contender in the modern game. How will they handle the spacing on offense? How will they adjust if teams try to exploit their size and force Holmgren or Timme to defend a wing?
That seems to be the thing that coach Mark Few will have to address early on. But those two will learn how to play next to each other throughout the season. That will matter in March and April, if Gonzaga reaches that stage. In , Few had success with Przemek Karnowski as his starter at center and Zach Collins coming off the bench. That was a rotation most opponents couldn't handle, even though Gonzaga lost to North Carolina and its tremendous frontcourt in the national title.
This season's situation is a different challenge for Gonzaga. No team in the country is equipped to deal with both Holmgren and Timme on the floor at the same time. If it works, the Zags could capture their first national title. Borzello: This may be the first time Gonzaga has the "too much talent problem. Gonzaga shared the ball and the shots effectively last season, but there might be a player or two who see fewer minutes than expected this season.
The Zags have rarely had that problem before, mostly because they haven't recruited at this level in the past. It's a good problem; it's just a new problem. Given I picked Gonzaga to win it all, I'm obviously not too concerned about it, but it's something worth monitoring. Gasaway: It's unusual to see a program win this many NCAA tournament games over the course of two decades or so and not earn a national title.
Those teams collectively won nine titles over that span: , , , , , , , and Still trying. The Bulldogs have reached two of the past four national title games, not to mention four of the past six Elite Eights. Few is in his 23rd season coaching, at the still relatively spry age of Recruiting and, more broadly, talent acquisition, is stronger than it has ever been in Spokane, Washington.
Finally, the the overwhelming choice of both pollsters and laptops as the preseason No. History counsels us that a program checking all of these rather incredible boxes is going to win a national title sooner rather than later. Is this the year? Lunardi: Is Holmgren really the player who delivers a national title to Spokane? He may very well be, but remember just how hard it is to reach and win that last game in April.
The Bulldogs know that as well as anyone, and I have a hard time believing Gonzaga can be as generationally good as it was a year ago. I'm betting once again for the Zags to come up just short. Gasaway: This is the first head-coaching transition at Duke since the Carter administration and in that time Mike Krzyzewski has won five national titles. North Carolina cut down the nets five times in that stretch and, of course, there's a changing of the guard occurring in Chapel Hill as well.
Aside from the Tar Heels, no team has won as many titles in the Coach K era. So, even if you think you're already annoyed, the question of whether this program can sustain its success after Coach K's departure should be riveting. Duke already has commitments from three top recruits for next season, and it appears Jon Scheyer will be given a running start as the incoming head coach. Has Duke's historic moment already come and gone? Medcalf: The sport always loses something when a legend leaves.
And whether you like Duke or hate Duke, it has been a critical element in the college basketball ecosystem under Coach K. So that storyline isn't something anyone can ignore. Could Paolo Banchero lead Duke to the national title in Krzyzewski's final season, making life easier for the producers of the inevitable "30 for 30" documentary about the legendary coach?
Maybe the Blue Devils flop a slim chance with Banchero. We'll see. But this is the end of an era. And I think it's probably a moment the sport has really only felt once before: in , when John Wooden retired.
It would be 20 years before UCLA would cut down the nets again. Is a similar drought coming for Duke?
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