March Madness has come to a close as the national championship game was played on Monday, April 5th between the Gonzaga Bulldogs and the Baylor Bears. 

Gonzaga came into the championship game with a perfect season, winning 31 games in a row and losing none. They also had come off a very tight game which some people are calling an “instant classic” against the UCLA Bruins in the Final Four. The game went into overtime with the score tied 81-81. Both teams were going back and forth in overtime and with 3.3 seconds left on the clock, the Bruins tied the game at 90 but Freshman guard from Gonzaga and NBA prospect, Jalen Suggs, took matters into his own hands as he threw up a prayer from beyond the three point line and banked in the basketball, winning the game and sending the Bulldogs to the National Championship.

As for Baylor, they went to their first National Championship since 1948 after they beat the Houston Cougars in the Final Four and they didn’t just beat them, they stomped on them, hard. Winning the game 78-59. 

Heading into the championship game on Monday, the Bulldogs were looking to be one of the few teams to undergo a perfect season while the Bears were looking to obtain their first ever National Championship in the school’s history. Baylor quickly jumped to a great start, leading by 19 at one point but the Bulldogs wouldn’t go away as they brought the score within 10 points heading into the second half. But throughout the second half, Baylor remained dominant, out-rebounding Gonzaga and led in assists, blocks, steals, and three point percentage. The Bulldogs never gave up but the Bears never showed mercy which is what ultimately led to Baylor winning their first ever National Championship, beating Gonzaga 86-70. 

Junior guard, Jared Butler led the Bears throughout the tournament which gained him the honors of being the Most Outstanding Player of the tournament but he couldn’t have done it without his fellow teammates such as Mark Vital, MaCio Teague, Davion Mitchell, and big man Tchamwa Tchatchoua.