(1) Gonzaga vs (1) Baylor – 9:20pm ET
Gonzaga (31-1) earned their 31st victory of the season on Saturday, but it was not an easy one. The Bulldogs had rolled through the tournament, knocking off Norfolk State (98-55), Oklahoma (87-71), Creighton (83-65), and USC (85-66) to reach the Final Four.
Gonzaga was heavily favored over UCLA, but the Bruins forced overtime with a last-second shot and it looked like a second overtime was in the books when Jalen Suggs hit a half-court shot as time expired to give the Bulldogs a 93-90 victory.
Gonzaga was led in scoring by Drew Timme with 25 points. He hit 11 of 15 shots. Joel Ayayi had 22 points off nine of 12 shooting and added six rebounds. Andrew Nembhard scored 11 points and added eight assists.
You know what the goal is.
By @NigelWG5 pic.twitter.com/WhxbTjTPZC
— Gonzaga Basketball (@ZagMBB) April 3, 2021
Gonzaga is one of the best shooting teams in the country, first in points per game at 92.9 per contest. They are first in field-goal percentage (55.3%), 69th in three-point percentage (36.1%), and 93rd in free-throw percentage (73.2). The Bulldogs are an excellent rebounding team, averaging 35.5 boards per game, 44th overall, and they are 18th in defensive rebounds at 27.0 per contest.
The Bulldogs have been led in scoring by Timme during the postseason, who is averaging 20.3 points in the seven games. He is adding 7.0 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game as well, shooting 66.3% from the field.
Corey Kispert is second in scoring at 16.4 points per game, hitting 45.5% of its field-goal attempts and 82.4% of free-throw attempts. Ayayi leads the team in rebounds per game at 7.7 and is averaging 15.0 points per game, shooting 57.4% from the field, 44.8% from three-point range, and 82.4% from the free-throw line.
Baylor (27-2) dominated Houston to advance to the finals, 78-59. The Bears began the tournament by defeating Hartford (79-55), then knocked off Wisconsin, 76-63). Baylor then defeated Villanova (62-51) and Arkansas (81-72) before knocking off Houston.
👀 on the prize #NationalChampionship #SicEm | #TimeIsNow 🏀pic.twitter.com/BHgKOOw6QS
— Baylor Basketball (@BaylorMBB) April 4, 2021
The Bears took a 25-point lead over the Cougars heading into the break. They were led by Jared Butler who scored 17 points off six of nine shooting, including four of five from three-point range. Davion Mitchell and Matthew Mayer each had 12 points for the Bears.
Baylor is an exceptional shooting team as well, third in the country in points per game at 85.3. They are 13th in field-goal percentage (49.7%), first in three-point percentage (42.9%), but only 244th in free-throw percentage (68.6%). Baylor has been outstanding on the glass, 21st in offensive rebounds at 11.1 while averaging 33.7 rebounds per game.
Butler leads the team in scoring at 17.1 points per game, hitting 49.3% of his shots. MaCio Teague is second in scoring at 15.7 points per game, and he is hitting 48.1% of his shots and 83.6% of free-throw attempts. Mark Vital is the leading rebounder, averaging 6.3 per game.
March Madness Pick – Gonzaga (-245)
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