On Monday night, Baylor captured its first men’s basketball national title as they beat Gonzaga  86-70 at Lucus Oil Stadium.

Before the contest, the Gonzaga Bulldogs were favored to win the national title and complete the first perfect season since 1976. However, things went differently as Baylor reigned victorious. Throughout the game, the Baylor Bears dominated and never fell behind Gonzaga. There weren’t questionable calls, and it wasn’t a buzzer-beater. Simply put, Baylor played incredibly well, they were the better team, and their win was one of the most impressive runs in recent NCAA history.

On Monday, Jared Butler, McCio Teague, Adam Flager and Davion Mitchell combined to finish with 69 points. Butler, who scored 22 points and drained four 3-pointers, won the Final Four Most Outstanding Player award. The Bulldogs shot 51% from the field but couldn’t overcome its 14 turnovers or Baylor’s 16 offensive rebounds and 16 second-chance points. Not only that, but the Bears also made 44% of their threes and won every individual matchup.

Though the Baylor Bears were not expected to win, they had their historic moment with confetti, the camera, the fans, and the city. Last year, Baylor won 23 games in a row and was likely to enter as the top seed in the NCAA tournament if it had not been canceled. Since that cancelation, Baylor brought back the key players that contributed to that run and went for it all this season.

While the Bears started strong winning their first 18 games of the season, they were overshadowed by Gonzaga which seemed capable of completing a perfect season. Additionally, Baylor’s return from the three-week pause attributed to COVID-19 health and safety protocols did not seem promising. However, their losses after returning helped the team refocus for their playoff run.

Baylor ended the 2020-21 season as the best team in America, and as champions and have a great underdog story that will be told for years to come.

The No. 15 Gonzaga Bulldogs will travel to face the Portland Pilots on Thursday night in the second game of the conference series.

Gonzaga vs. Portland Basketball preview

Gonzaga (17-4, 7-1 in West Coast Conference) won the first game at home, 103-57. The Bulldogs are coming off a rough week: they lost to Saint Mary’s at home and then defeated Santa Clara on the road 75-60 on Saturday, although they struggled in the latter matchup. The Zags are second in their Conference.

Meanwhile, Portland (8-13, 2-6 in West Coast) have improved after dropping their first six-straight conference games. The Pilots have recently won at San Diego 55-49, and beat down Loyola, 72-65. They are eighth in their conference.

Among Gonzaga’s strongest players is senior guard Silas Melson, who will be returning home to the town in Portland where he played in high school. Melson scored a career high 23 points against the Pilots earlier this year in Spokane, Washington and is averaging nearly 10 points per game in conference, but in five of those games he has scored a combined 18 points.

Bulldogs freshman forward Corey Kispert, meanwhile, has missed two games with an ankle injury in the fall. He averaged 10.7 points before his injury, and that figure has fallen to just 5.3 since. He has only shot seven field goal attempts in the past three games.

Gonzaga vs. Portland: 

Date: January 25, 2018

Time: 11 pm EST

Place: Chiles Center, Portland, Oregon

TV Channel: ESPNU

Caption:LAS VEGAS, NV – MARCH 08: Emmett Naar #3 of the Saint Mary’s Gaels drives against Domantas Sabonis #11 of the Gonzaga Bulldogs during the championship game of the West Coast Conference Basketball tournament at the Orleans Arena on March 8, 2016 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Gonzaga won 85-75. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

One year ago, North Carolina felt crushed after losing to Villanova 77-74 in the NCAA championship game at the buzzer.

North Carolina Earns Sixth NCAA Title vs Gonzaga With 71-65 Win

On Monday night in Glendale, Arizona, the Tar Heels (33-7) found themselves on the other side of the coin when they defeated the Gonzaga Bulldogs 71-65 to win their sixth national title and third under coach Roy Williams.

“At the end, when you’re watching your kids jump around,” Williams said, “there’s no better feeling in the world as a coach.”

After the game, Williams also praised his counterpart at Gonzaga, Mark Few, calling him one of the best coaches in college basketball.

 Joel Berry II led UNC with 22 points, six assists, three rebounds, two steals and one block, and the junior guard was named the tournament’s most outstanding player. Kennedy Meeks added 7 points and 10 rebounds for the Tar Heels, contributing a key block in the final seconds that helped spur early victory celebrations from their fans at the University of Phoenix and left Gonzaga’s players feeling despondent, knowing that scoring six points in less than 10 seconds to tie the game and force overtime was too unrealistic a feat.

The Bulldogs (37-2) were playing in their 19th straight NCAA Tournament but first-ever Final Four.

When North Carolina played in Greenville, S.C., in the early rounds of the N.C.A.A. tournament, the Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney talked to Williams and reminded him that the Tigers won the national championship game one year after losing it, and urged Williams to help his team get the title. “Win it just like we did,” Swinney told him.

The Tar Heels are now the fourth men’s college basketball team to do exactly that.

“We won’t be remembered as a team that lost in the finals,” Meeks said.

Kris Jenkins, the Villanova player who scored the title-winning shot against North Carolina last year sat in the stands on Monday, watching his half brother, Tar Heels point guard Nate Britt help his team on their redemption tour. Jenkins said he felt more nervous watching Britt play this year than he did playing for Villanova last year.

“Amazing, man,” Jenkins said. “Amazing. That’s all I can say: amazing.”

Gonzaga started off strong with outside shooting (5 of 9 from 3-point range). The Bulldogs went on a 13-point run to lead for almost 15 minutes of the first half.

In the first half, North Carolina got big dunks from players like Theo Pinson, who dunked in front of Gonzaga center Przemek Karnowski.

Despite missing 11 of their first 13 3-point attempts, North Carolina still managed to just trail by three (35-32) at halftime.

However, after the Tar Heels went on an 8-0 run to open the second half, a 3-pointer from Jordan Mathews re-gave Gonzaga the lead (41-40) with 16.5 minutes remaining.

Nigel Williams-Goss and Johnathan Williams scored back-to-back 3-pointers for the Bulldogs, who began the second half shooting 3 of 19 from the field. After that, North Carolina led just 62-60 with 3:08 left.

“They did everything we asked them to do,” Few said. Nevertheless, it wasn’t enough, and some last-minute defensive errors cost the Zags the game.

In the final minute, as the Tar Heels led 66-65, Isaiah Hicks hit a bank shot to stretch North Carolina’s lead to 3. After Meeks blocked a shot from Williams-Goss, the ball was passed to Justin Jackson, who raced, nearly alone, to the opposite end of the court and landed a dunk that made the crowd at the University of Phoenix roar.

Hicks blocked a shot from Gonzaga’s 7-footer Zach Collins in the second half. Collins scored 9 points before fouling out with 5 minutes 3 seconds remaining.

“It’s an unbelievable feeling,” Jackson said.

“It’s the best feeling I’ve ever felt,” said Hicks, who made the key layup with 26 seconds left to put North Carolina ahead by 3. “I haven’t cried like this in years.”

The UNC Tar Heels opened up the second half with a huge, 8-0 run, and turned their three-point deficit at the break into a five-point lead (40-35) over the Gonzaga Bulldogs.

UNC Tar Heels Open Second Half With 8-0 Run, Take 40-35 Lead vs Gonzaga

Berry provided much help for North Carolina during that burst, and Gonzaga coach Mark Few decided to take a timeout after his team missed three shots from the lane.

The Bulldogs turned the ball over twice less than 30 seconds into the second half, both from guard Josh Perkins. 

Justin Jackson, meanwhile, hit two free throws for the Tar Heels.

Przemek Karnowski, one of Gonzaga’s 7-footers, looked a little lost, shooting 0-4, all from close range, after getting a finger in the eye in the semifinal.

One of the Bulldogs’ other big men, freshman Zach Collins, contributed two baskets and four rebounds after coming off the bench.

Josh Perkins was the Gonzaga Bulldogs’ top scorer in the first half with 8 points.

Gonzaga Leads UNC 35-32 At Halftime In NCAA Championship Game 2017

Another 3 by Perkins and a jump-shot by Jonathan Williams gave the Bulldogs a 7-point lead with 10 minutes remaining.

North Carolina then got within 2 thanks to a 3-pointer from Joel Berry and another shot from Justin Jackson.

Despite their strong rebounding skills, the Tar Heels were out-rebounded in the first half, 14-8.

Former UNC star Michael Jordan is not attending the game in Phoenix, as he did, last year when the Tar Heels lost. However, Michael Phelps is attending, looking very tan:

Tar Heel Kennedy Meeks, meanwhile, set a new single-tournament record for a player from his school with just nine rebounds in the first 20 minutes.

More updates to follow soon.

The 2017 NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship Game is set for Monday night at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.

NCAA Championship Game 2017 Preview: Gonzaga vs UNC

The game will begin at 9:20 p.m. EST and will air on CBS, and can also be live-streamed on the NCAA’s website.

The two teams facing off are both top seeds in the tournament: the Gonzaga Bulldogs and the North Carolina Tar Heels.

North Carolina leads the country in rebounds, and this in particular helped them defeat Oregon in the Final Four last weekend. Tar Heels point guard Joel Berry is still recovering from injuries to both ankles that have hindered his performance. Berry played 35 minutes in UNC’s win over Oregon, but shot just 2 of 14 from the floor for 11 points.

The Tar Heels played in last year’s championship game, but lost to Villanova 77-74 after a buzzer-beating 3-pointer from the Wildcats. Only three teams have ever won a national title after losing the final game the year before.

Gonzaga, who are making their 19th straight NCAA Tournament appearance, but its first showing in the Final Four, defeated South Carolina 77-73 in the semifinals last weekend.

According to the NCAA’s website, the predicted winner is Gonzaga, who is forecasted to win 76-73.

MEMPHIS, TN – MARCH 26: Kennedy Meeks #3 of the North Carolina Tar Heels shoots in the second half against the Kentucky Wildcats during the 2017 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament South Regional at FedExForum on March 26, 2017 in Memphis, Tennessee. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

The NCAA Tournament bubble is rapidly becoming a very unpredictable disaster, more so than usual.

Gonzaga’s 85-75 Victory Over St. Mary’s Bad News for Syracuse

The latest surprise was Tuesday night’s West Coast Conference title game, where the Gonzaga Bulldogs (26-7, 15-3 WCC) defeated the top-seeded St. Mary’s Gaels 85-75 at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. This marked the eighth time since 2004 that the two teams have met in the WCC title game.

Syracuse’s ACC Tournament game against Pittsburgh in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday is thus looking more and more critical for the Orange if they want to make it to the NCAA Tournament this year.

Syracuse currently leads the series 19-12. As of Tuesday night, the Orange owned an RPI (Rating Percentage Index, a measure of a team’s wins and losses as well as its strength of schedule) of No. 60 as calculated by ESPN and a Ken Pomeroy rating of No. 41.

Following Gonzaga’s win, several regular-season conference champions like St. Mary’s, Wichita State, Valparaiso and Monmouth can now potentially steal bids come Selection Sunday.

“It was huge for us because nothing’s guaranteed,” said Gonzaga’s Kyle Wiltjer, who scored 17 points and made 6 of 10 shots and all four of his free throws. “We didn’t want to be on the outside looking in on Selection Sunday, and I’m proud of these guys for these past couple games, just having the will to win.”

The Zags outscored Saint Mary’s 15-4 on points off turnovers and hit 18 of 26 shots to lead 43-35 at halftime.

The Bulldogs have now made their 18th straight NCAA Tournament. The Bulldogs lead the all-time series against Saint Mary’s 63-29. St. Mary’s must now wait to see if it gets an NCAA at-large bid on Sunday.

Caption: LAS VEGAS, NV – MARCH 08: Emmett Naar #3 of the Saint Mary’s Gaels drives against Domantas Sabonis #11 of the Gonzaga Bulldogs during the championship game of the West Coast Conference Basketball tournament at the Orleans Arena on March 8, 2016 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Gonzaga won 85-75. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)