March Madness: Gonzaga Defeated USC and UCLA is Baylor Next?
The two best teams from the 2020-2021 college basketball season will be playing for the coveted March Madness NCAA Championship on Monday night.
The undefeated Gonzaga Bulldogs (31-0) face off against the Baylor Bears (27-2) in Indianapolis.
Although USC and UCLA couldn't get past the Bulldogs in their previous two rounds, the Baylor Bears might stand a chance.
AllTrojans reporters Austin Grad and Millard Thomas make their predictions on who will be the Men's Division I National Champions after tonights game at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Austin Grad: Baylor Bears
Baylor played like a complete team against the Houston Cougars (28-4) on Saturday during the Final Four matchup. The Bears got out to a 45-20 halftime lead using stifling defense, and their hot shooting from the three-point line, where they made 11-out-of-24 attempts.
Star guards Davion Mitchell and Jared Butler proved why they are one of the best duos in all of college basketball. Mitchell finished with a double-double, scoring 12 points while dishing out 11 assists. While Butler led the team with 17 points on an efficient 6-of-9 shooting night, where he knocked down four triples in the team's 78-59 victory.
Head coach Scott Drew's team led the NCAA in three-point shooting percentage at 41.2% on the season, while finishing 6th in points per game averaging 82.2 per contest. Not to mention the teams superb defense, finishing top-10 in steals on the season.
Especially with the way Gonzaga struggled against UCLA, look for Baylor to come out hot, and end the Bulldogs perfect season.
Final Prediction: Baylor defeats Gonzaga 82-75
Millard Thomas: Gonzaga
The Gonzaga-UCLA game will be an all-time March Madness classic, with Jalen Suggs punching the Bulldogs ticket to the national title game by hitting a near half-court shot at the buzzer to escape the Bruins upset bid in OT 93-90.
The ending seemed like one that is necessary in every tournament run, especially for Mark Few's team as they try to complete a perfect season at 32-0. Now Baylor is the last program in the Zags path to perfection.
Gonzaga is one of the deepest teams in the country, and is arguably the most talented squad as well. With WCC player of the year Corey Kispert, talented big man Drew Timme and top-three NBA draft prospect Jalen Suggs leading the way for the Bulldogs, it will be hard for any team to take down this year's No. 1 overall seed in the tournament.
Of the team's 31 wins, 29 of them have come by at least 10 points, and the teams prolific offense is the main reason why.
Gonzaga led the NCAA in scoring offense, averaging 91.6 points per game. Mark Few's team also led all 340 division I teams in field goal percentage as well, shooting at a 55% clip from the hardwood this season.
There's a reason why the Zags are undefeated, and it will take a valiant effort from Baylor to knock them off.
Final Prediction: Gonzaga wins 85-80
-----
You may also like:
[Sam Darnold Reveals Goals For 2021 Season]
[USC star reacts to Gonzaga's Final Four win]
-----
Be sure to stay locked into AllTrojans all the time!
Follow Austin Grad on Twitter: @AustGrad
Follow AllTrojans on Twitter: @SI_AllTrojans
Like and follow AllTrojans on Facebook
For more USC news visit www.alltrojans.com.
