The only opponent that Gonzaga failed to win was the last. The previously unbeaten Bulldogs had their first loss of the season, dropping 86-70 to first-placed Baylor on Monday in the NCAA Tournament championship game.
In an incredibly unbalanced end of the season, the Zags never managed to lead, Gonzaga’s season ends with a record of 31-1 and with Baylor celebrating his first national title.
Baylor was better from end to end. He jumped to a 9-0 lead. That turned to 11-1. That ended up turning to 29-10 in less than 10 minutes of play. It marked the biggest deficit that Gonzaga faced in the whole season.
Despite this, Gonzaga had his share of races, reducing the advantage to 10 in the interval and to one digit in the second half. But Baylor had a greater share of runs, led by 10 strokes of 3 points and supported by a big game on the tables that gave him another 18 attempts to kick. His advantage increased to up to 20 in the second half, draining the life of the only team that never seemed lifeless throughout the season.
Led by Jared Butler’s 22 points, Baylor won in his first participation in the national championship since 1948, marking his first national championship in the program’s history.