INDIANAPOLIS – Jalen Suggs’s photo – perfect!
Gonzaga’s freshman hit the bell inside the half-court logo on Saturday night to lift the Zags to a 93-90 overtime victory over UCLA and place them in a win for an undefeated season and a national title.
It was the best game of the tournament and, considering the stakes, perhaps the best finish in the history of March Madness – a banker near the middle of the court to keep a perfect season alive.
After the shot was fired, Suggs ran to the nearly empty press queue, jumped up and raised his fists a few times. The referees checked to make sure he fired the shot before the bell rang. He did, and the Bulldogs moved into the Monday night final, where they will face Baylor for the title.
They are the first team to bring an unbeaten record to the league game since Larry Bird and Indiana State in 1979.
Even without Suggs’ shot, it would have been difficult to win this game out of pure emotion.
It featured 15 draws and 19 leadership changes and an 11th UCLA team that just didn’t give up. Even though they lost, the Bruins scored a run of 27 consecutive double-digit wins for Mark Few’s team.
The Bruins were the first team to lead Gonzaga in the second half of the tournament and, in fact, had the chance to win him at the end of the regulation.
With the game tied in 81, Jules Bernard got the better of the final seconds, when striker Zags Drew Timme, playing with four fouls, stepped on the painting area, planted his foot and attacked.
Gonzaga tried a pass from Grant Hill to Christian Laettner across the court with 0.7 seconds remaining to try to win in regulation. Did not connect. Five minutes later, Suggs may very well have dropped Laettner’s chance of a place on the all-time player list.