The Playbook: Baylor wins March Madness 2021
April 16, 2021
March Madness came to a close at 11:30 p.m. on April 5 with Baylor and Gonzaga, two number one seeds entering the tournament to compete head to head. Boasting an undefeated record, Gonzaga was hoping to finish that way. Their efforts were destroyed by Baylor, and Baylor ended up winning 86-70 for the final score.
During the game, Baylor put an immense amount of defensive pressure on Gonzaga, and they didn’t stop. This defensive hustle created 14 turnovers against Gonzaga and resulted in eight steals from Baylor. This is the main reason they won the game and that their three-point percentage was 43 percent. Gonzaga’s three-point percentage was only 29 percent.
Baylor may have done unexpectedly well, but Gonzaga’s previous game against University of California Los Angeles severely weakened the team. That game went into overtime and they won it thanks to an amazing half-court shot by Jalon Suggs putting a lot of stress on Gonzaga making them not at their full strength for the championship.
For Baylor, the standout player was Jared Butler. He had 22 points, the most on the team, and seven assists. Another crucial player during the game was Mark Vital. Although he only had six points, he had 11 rebounds which helped to get Baylor those extra points.
Even though Gonzaga let the championship slip through their fingers, star player Jalen Suggs is rumored to be the number one pick in the National Basketball Association draft. Suggs scored 22 points tying with Butler but even his efforts unfortunately couldn’t save his team.
