Baylor wins first national championship in school history with dominant performance vs. Gonzaga
Gonzaga never had a chance to complete the perfect season.
The Baylor Bears were up 9-0 before 3 minutes had even come off the clock on Monday night in Indianapolis, dominating the previously-unbeaten Bulldogs from start to finish. Now, the Bears and coach Scott Drew are champions for the first time in school history, cruising to an easy 86-70 victory.
The domination was total. Baylor out-rebounded Gonzaga 38-22. The Bears had 16 offensive rebounds. The Bulldogs had 5. Baylor made 10 3-pointers. Gonzaga made 5.
Jared Butler, an Alabama transfer, led the way for the Bears, scoring 22 points. Auburn transfer Davion Mitchell had 15 points. Butler made 4 3-pointers, including this one from really long range:
Jared Butler from DEEP ?@BaylorMBB #NationalChampionship pic.twitter.com/pmNmuRFnu8
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) April 6, 2021
Here’s the moment that the final buzzer sounded:
FIRST. TIME. FEELING! ?
Baylor wins the #NationalChampionship for the first time in men’s program history! pic.twitter.com/HOg0RgPN41
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) April 6, 2021
Gonzaga finishes the season with a 31-1 record — 1 game short of perfection. But, this was also a fun team to watch all year. However, the Bulldogs now lose their claim as potentially the best team of all-time.
Meanwhile, Scott Drew is a champion. What a rebuilding job he’s done since taking over a program in shambles. The Bears aren’t going away anytime soon, but neither are Mark Few and Gonzaga. Both of these programs should continue to be among the college basketball elite moving forward into 2021-22 and beyond.