College Basketball National Championship Game – Gonzaga vs. Baylor

There’s something poetic about Gonzaga and Baylor meeting for the national championship. These two teams were originally supposed to meet in December, but the game was called off due to COVID-19. The Bulldogs and Bears have been the two top teams in college basketball throughout the season, so it’s only fitting they meet with both schools looking to win their first national title.

The NCAA men’s basketball national championship will take place on Monday, April 5, 2021 at 9:20 p.m. ET on CBS. It will be held at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana.

College Football Betting Odds

Baylor +4.5

Gonzaga -4.5

Total 159.5

Recent Performance

Gonzaga was tested for the first time all season on Saturday night. The Bulldogs had won 29 of their 30 previous games by at least double digits, but UCLA proved to be more than a match for Gonzaga. Mick Cronin’s Bruins were able to run with the Zags the whole game and went to overtime despite being the biggest underdog in Final Four history. That set the stage for Jalen Suggs making the biggest shot since Kris Jenkins won the title with a buzzer beater for Villanova in a 93-90 OT win.

Baylor didn’t have nearly the same trouble with Houston. The Bears jumped on the Cougars from the outset, and they never let up. They were winning 45-22 at halftime, and they cruised from there to win 78-59. Both teams had a ton of offensive rebounds, but Houston had more turnovers than assists in the game.

Gonzaga Preview

This is the most talented team in the country. Gonzaga has four potential first-round picks in Drew Timme, Jalen Suggs, Corey Kispert, and Joel Ayayi. Additionally, Florida transfer Andrew Nembhard would be a star on almost any other team in college basketball.

Suggs will likely be the highest draft pick this summer. The freshman guard is projected to be a high lottery pick, and his game-winning three will be shown on highlight reels for decades to come. He is averaging 14.1 PPG, 5.5 RPG, and 4.6 APG and making over 50% of his field goals, but he isn’t the best perimeter shooter (33.3% from beyond the arc).

Kispert was the WCC Player of the Year. He is averaging 18.8 PPG and 5.0 RPG. Kispert is the leader of the team as a senior and the best perimeter shooter, draining 44.5% of his threes.

The most important player might be Timme though. Gonzaga’s 6’10 center is Ken Pomeroy’s No. 1 ranked player in the nation, and he leads the Bulldogs with 19.2 PPG and 7.1 RPG. Timme is making 65.4% of his field goals, and he is a huge mismatch for undersized Baylor.

Baylor Preview

Scott Drew has done a great job with the Bears. Drew took over a program in disarray after Patrick Dennehy was murdered in 2003, and he has become easily the best coach in program history with 353 wins to his name. He has now taken Baylor to the Final Four for the first time in seven decades.

This is the best three-point shooting team in the country. The Bears punish opponents with their guard play, and they are knocking down 41.2% of their threes. MaCio Teague is the “worst” three-point shooter of the bunch, making just 38.9% of his triples, but the other four top scorers on the team are draining 40% of their triples.

Jared Butler is the main playmaker on Baylor, making 47.2% of his field goals and 41.5% of his threes. Butler is averaging 16.6 PPG, and Teague (15.8 PPG) and Davion Mitchell (14.0 PPG) aren’t far behind. Butler and Mitchell are also two of the best perimeter defenders in the country.

Prediction

Some analysts believe that Gonzaga is vulnerable after its narrow win over UCLA, but the Bulldogs have too many advantages to miss out on the program’s first national championship. The Bulldogs have the most efficient offense in the country, so points should come by the bunches in a Gonzaga win and cover.

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