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 (28-2), 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. If Bob May, Quinn Buckner and the rest of coach Bob Knight's team were keeping champagne cold to celebrate - a la the perfect '72 Miami Dolphins - they could've uncorked it by halftime.
Or sooner.
Baylor was up 9-0 after 2 1/2 minutes and the Bulldogs faced only their fourth double-digit deficit of the season at 11-1. They faced their biggest deficit of the season - 15 points - with 7:10 gone. By then, Suggs had two fouls and was watching from the bench.
He tried hard to breathe some fire into his teammates, or the Zags fans - who made about as much noise as the cardboard cutouts that were scattered through Lucas Oil Stadium to make it seem full.
'Let's .... go!' Suggs screamed after he got fouled on a layup early in the second half. He missed the free throw.
But more than anything in the title game, it was Suggs' memorable basket two nights earlier that laid the groundwork for this one. His bank shot at the buzzer capped one of the most riveting college basketball games ever. Back on the floor about 46 hours after that emotional roller coaster, it was clear the Zags were gassed.
The sequence that best illustrated the energy gap came about six minutes into the contest when Jonathan Tchamwa (6'9''-C) Tchatchoua slapped the ball out of Drew Timme (6'10''-C/F-00)'s hands and the Bears worked the ball ahead to Mitchell. He missed a layup, but Tchamwa Tchatchoua got the offensive rebound and fed Adam Flagler for a 3.
Gonzaga was practically just standing there for it all.
This was one of the most-anticipated finals in recent history, a meeting of the two best teams from the last two seasons - this one and 2020, when COVID-19 scrapped the action before tournament time. They were scheduled to meet this season in Indy, on Dec. 5, but a COVID-19 outbreak on the Gonzaga team ended those plans.
But the game didn't live up to the hype, and it was out of hand early.
Baylor had nine offensive rebounds in the first half that led to nine second-chance points, and wore down the Zags on defense. Gonzaga shot 54% from the floor over the first 20 minutes but Baylor had 16 more attempts - the kind of math that doesn't add up for a team playing in the title game.
One glimmer of hope for the Zags came when Tchamwa Tchatchoua joined another Baylor big man, Flo Thamba, on the bench with four fouls with 14:43 left.
Andrew Nembhard's basket on the next possession cut Gonzaga's deficit below double digits for the first time since early. Baylor answered with a 9-2 run punctuated by Mark Vital's rejection of Corey Kispert, then a fast break that led to an easy 3 from Flagler.
It was over from there. Yes, Gonzaga might have been the year's most watchable team with its dramatic run at perfection, to say nothing of the shot of the tournament.
But Baylor was cutting down the nets.
It's the culmination of an 18-year rebuild, the likes of which no program has ever seen.
Coach Scott Drew took over a roster with only seven scholarship players and a team staring at years of NCAA probation in the wake of the murder of player Patrick Dennehy by a teammate in 2003. The Bears won only 21 games over Drew's first three years.
It took a lot of imagination and more than a little faith to believe a day like this might happen.
It took the same thing to hang a loss on the Bulldogs.
But that kind of loss? Only Baylor could've seen that one coming.
Memphis Wins NIT Title With 77-64 Win Over Mississippi State - Mar 28, 2021
Boogie Ellis (6'3''-G-00) scored 23 points and Memphis never trailed after a fast start to beat Mississippi State 77-64 in the NIT championship game Sunday, giving the Tigers a title in Penny Hardaway 's third season coaching his alma mater. After just missing out on their first NCAA Tournament since 2013-14, the Tigers went into the NIT as a No. 1 seed and won college basketball's oldest postseason tournament for the second time. They also were NIT champs in 2002. Landers Nolley II (6'7''-G-00) II opened the second half with a jumper and a 3-pointer that put Memphis (20-8) ahead to stay. Nolley is one of three sophomore starters for the Tigers, who also had a freshman and junior among the starting five. Memphis won 11 of its last 13 games, the only losses a pair of one-possession setbacks six days apart against NCAA Elite Eight team Houston. The Tigers have their fourth consecutive 20-win seasons, including all three since Hardaway became their coach. The Tigers led 13-0 in less than 7 1/2 minutes before missing 11 shots in a row and 21 of 26 before halftime. Mississippi State (18-15) tied the game at 33-all when Andersson Garcia had a steal on a bad pass at midcourt and drove for a layup to beat the halftime buzzer. Memphis shot 66.7% after halftime (16 of 24) and struck first with Nolley's baskets. The Tigers made 6 of 8 3s after the break, with Ellis hitting consecutive long-range shots early on. D.J. Jeffries (6'7''-F-99) had 15 points for the Tigers, while DeAndre Williams (6'9''-F) had 12 points. Lester Quinones (6'5''-G-00) had eight points and 16 rebounds. Cameron Matthews (6'7''-F) scored 19 to pace Mississippi State, and Deivon Smith (6'1''-G) had 17. Abdul Ado had eight points and 11 rebounds. The Bulldogs missed their first 10 shots in the game before Smith's 3-pointer with 12:42 left in the first half made it 13-3. Garcia's half-ending play was part of a 10-2 run in the final two minutes that Matthews started with a 3-pointer before adding a layup and a free throw. After the first-ever NIT cancellation last year because of COVID-19, this year's tournament was reduced from 32 to 16 teams and played entirely in North Texas, more than 1,500 miles from its usual home of New York City. The semifinals and championship game were played outside of Madison Square Garden for the first time in the 83-year history of the event. After being the first Mississippi State player ever with three consecutive 20-point poststeason games, D.J. Stewart Jr. (6'6''-G-99) Jr. was held to four points on 1-of-10 shooting in the final game. Quinones did a tremendous job defensively against Stewart, who missed all five of his 3-pointers. Stewart had scored 23 points in the semifinal win over Louisiana Tech after games of 20 and 22 points in the NIT. Iverson Molinar (6'4''-G-99), who had 25 points in the semifinal for Mississippi State, finished with six against Memphis. The last four Memphis losses were by a combined eight points. Sixth-ranked Houston hit a buzzer-beating 3-pointer at home to beat the Tigers 67-64 in the regular-season finale, before winning 76-74 in the American Athletic Conference tournament semifinals. Courtesy of: usnews.com
Pepperdine Cruises to 2021 CBI Championship Win vs. Coastal Carolina - Mar 25, 2021
There was no stopping Pepperdine on Wednesday. The Waves absolutely cruised to an 84-61 win over the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers in the College Basketball Invitational championship game, led by a huge night from Victor Ohia Obioha (6'9''-C). While the Waves were flowing, everything went wrong for Coastal Carolina (18-8). They shot just 38 percent from the field and committed 19 turnovers. Pepperdine (15-12) ended their season in style, meanwhile, cruising in the CBI with three straight double-digit wins. Not a bad showing for a team that traveled across the country to participate in the CBI in Daytona Beach and promptly played three games in four days. Finishing fourth in the WCC and winning the CBI for the first time in school history was a pretty darn good season for Lorenzo Romar's charges. The Waves will look to build on that result next season as they look to return to the NCAA tournament for the first time since the 2001-02 season. Darryl Polk (5'9''-PG) delivered 19 points for Peppedine. Victor Ohia Obioha finished with 16 points, while Colbey Ross (6'1''-G) added 15 points and 7 assists for the champions. Essam Mostafa (6'9''-C-99) answered with 15 points, while DeAnthony Tipler (5'10''-PG) provided 16 points for Coastal Carolina. Ohia Obioha has had a nice CBI, putting up 13 points and 11 rebounds in Pepperdine's quarterfinal win over Longwood. But he saved his best for the championship game, with an incredibly efficient night (7-of-9 from the field). Pepperdine has relied on its top scorers, Colbey Ross (17.6 PPG) and Kessler Edwards (6'8''-F) (17.5 PPG) throughout the season. Ohia Obioha (5.1 PPG) has generally been an afterthought in that regard. But not on Wednesday. If the junior center can continue to progress on that end, the Waves might have a very solid player on their hands next season. Jones has been awesome this season, averaging 19.8 points, 7.2 rebounds, three assists and 2.8 steals per game. He didn't have that same magic against Pepperdine, however, as early foul trouble limited him on Wednesday. After putting up 25 points in a quarterfinals win over Bryant, Jones combined to score just 17 points in the last two games. That didn't keep Coastal Carolina from beating Stetson, but it was too much to overcome against a humming Pepperdine side. There's no shame in having a few tough games, especially after a season that saw you win Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year. Expect Jones to tear it up in his senior year, too, especially after his junior campaign ended in disappointment. Courtesy of: bleacherreport.com
Werner Ladder Naismith Coach of the Year Award:Mark Few of Gonzaga Naismith Defensive Players of the Year:Davion Mitchell (6'1''-G-98) of Baylor University of Baylor Jersey Mike's Naismith Trophy:Luka Garza (6'11''-C-98) of University of Iowa of Iowa
Jersey Mike's Naismith Trophy Finalists Cade Cunningham (6'8''-G-01) of Oklahoma State University of Oklahoma State Ayo Dosunmu (6'5''-G-00) of University of Illinois of Illinois Luka Garza (6'11''-C-98) of Iowa Corey Kispert (6'7''-F-99) of Gonzaga University of Gonzaga
gQRT
Ryan Davis (6'8''-F)
of Vermont
Sandro Mamukelashvili (6'11''-F-99)
of Seton Hall
Fardaws Aimaq (6'11''-F-99)
of Utah Valley
Asbjorn Midtgaard (7'0''-C-97)
of GCU
Ethan Esposito (6'7''-F)
of Sacramento St.
Gorjok Gak (6'11''-C-96)
of CBU
Luka Garza (6'11''-C-98)
of Iowa
Kofi Cockburn (7'0''-C-99)
of Illinois
Charles Bassey (6'11''-C-00)
of WKU
Jhivvan Jackson (6'0''-PG)
of UTSA
Santiago Aldama (6'11''-F-01)
of Loyola, MD
Josh Mballa (6'7''-F-99)
of Buffalo
Neemias Queta (7'0''-C-99)
of Utah St.
Oscar Da Silva (6'9''-PF-98)
of Stanford
Chris Duarte (6'6''-G-97)
of Oregon
Gavin Kensmil (6'7''-F)
of SF Austin
Norchad Omier (6'7''-F)
of Arkansas St.
