Baylor ruins Gonzaga's perfect season to win national championship
Brett Wilhelm / NCAA Photos / Getty
No. 1 Baylor took an early 9-0 lead and never looked back to convincingly knock off No. 1 Gonzaga 86-70 and win the program's first national championship on Monday.
Jared Butler was spectacular for the Bears, leading the team with 22 points while dishing out a game-high seven assists. He also splashed four 3-pointers, and Baylor outscored Gonzaga 30-15 from beyond the arc.
Baylor's players can now call themselves champions for the first time in the program's 114-year history.
With the loss, Gonzaga failed to become the first men's college basketball team to go undefeated since 1976. Jalen Suggs led the way for the Bulldogs with a game-high 22 points.
HEADLINES
- Miami (OH) rallies in 2nd half to knock off SMU in First Four
- Prairie View rolls past Lehigh, will face Florida in 1st round
- How May's culture brought Michigan back from rock bottom
- March Madness Round 1: Best bets, survivor picks for Thursday's slate
- Picking the winner of every game in the 2026 NCAA Tournament
Advertisement