Gonzaga is choking and Baylor has their foot on their neck in National Championship
The Gonzaga Bulldogs were blitzed by the Baylor Bears in the opening minutes of the NCAA Tournament title game, stunning viewers across the nation.
The Gonzaga Bulldogs have been unbeatable all season. Suddenly, on the biggest stage, they look completely lost.
Baylor started Monday night’s NCAA Tournament National Championship Game on a 9-0 run, ultimately building to a 19-point lead. That’s the largest deficit Gonzaga has faced all season.
The Bulldogs looked slow on the defensive end and muddled on offense. Basically, they were the opposite of what they have been in the previous 30 games.
No one saw Gonzaga’s struggles and Baylor’s domination coming
College basketball Twitter was stunned by how one-sided the game was.
This looks like UConn-Georgia Tech final so far. Except the team in the GT role is undefeated and ranked No. 1.
— Pat Forde (@ByPatForde) April 6, 2021
https://twitter.com/espn/status/1379246889288273920
Gonzaga head coach Mark Few caught some flack for his management early, doing little to calm his team.
https://twitter.com/NicoleAuerbach/status/1379244106673700865
Others put the emphasis on Baylor getting under Gonzaga’s skin.
Gonzaga clearly hasn't seen anything quite like Baylor's defense. The athleticism and physicality edge for Baylor is striking early.
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) April 6, 2021
Here’s one aspect that’s clear thus far: Gonzaga can’t get by Baylor's defenders.
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) April 6, 2021
Quality of shot? Advantage Baylor. It’s early, but...Wow.
— Jay Bilas (@JayBilas) April 6, 2021
#Baylor has made its first three 3-point tries in a second consecutive Final Four game.
— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) April 6, 2021
The start sure flipped the narrative around the game quickly.
How's this:
— Jason McIntyre (@jasonrmcintyre) April 6, 2021
Baylor now FAVORED -3.5 in live-betting. That's at the first TV timeout
The Bulldogs were initially favored by 4.5 points.
It could be Gonzaga was just spent after a wild overtime win over UCLA on Saturday.
Maybe UCLA did beat Gonzaga after all.
— Brian Hamilton (@_Brian_Hamilton) April 6, 2021
The big question on just about everyone’s mind? Could Gonzaga possibly recover?
Gonzaga is a special team. But, the Zags are playing against a special team. Not sure how you recover from this start. This would have to match the largest comeback in title game history (Loyola 1963).
— Jay Bilas (@JayBilas) April 6, 2021
It may not have been the national title game expected, but it was shocking all the same.
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