Busting Brackets
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Gonzaga Basketball: 5 teams that can defeat the Bulldogs this 2020-21 season

By Tristan Freeman

Jan 7, 2021; Spokane, Washington, USA; Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Jalen Suggs (1) and Gonzaga Bulldogs forward Drew Timme (2) celebrate a basket and foul during a game against the Brigham Young Cougars in the second half of a WCC menÕs basketball game at McCarthey Athletic Center. The Bulldogs won 86-69. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 7, 2021; Spokane, Washington, USA; Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Jalen Suggs (1) and Gonzaga Bulldogs forward Drew Timme (2) celebrate a basket and foul during a game against the Brigham Young Cougars in the second half of a WCC menÕs basketball game at McCarthey Athletic Center. The Bulldogs won 86-69. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-USA TODAY Sports /
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Baylor Basketball
Baylor Bears Jared Butler Davion Mitchell Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports /

Baylor Bears (17-0, 9-0)

There’s no way I can do a piece like this without first mentioning the team some may think is better than Gonzaga in the Baylor Bears, the other unbeaten team in the country. The preseason No. 2 team has been just as impressive, ranking 4th nationally in scoring (87.0 ppg), while having one of the best and most physical defenses in all of college basketball.

As elite as the Bulldogs’ four guards (Suggs, Ayayi, Nembhard, and Cook) have been, the Bears have a quartet to match. Jared Butler (17.0 ppg and 5.2 apg) is the runaway favorite for Big 12 Player of the Year and an All-American, while point guard Davion Mitchell (13.8 ppg and 5.8 apg) is making a case of his own for a spot as an All-American. Fellow starter MaCo Teague (14.6 ppg) is a consistent scorer and can guard any kind of opposing guard on the other end.

What makes Baylor even more dangerous compared to last season is transfer guard Adam Flager. He comes off the bench and averages double figures, including six games with at least 14 points. So even in the rare event that the starting guards are off, they have someone like Flager to come in and have a big impact, similar to what Nembhard does for Gonzaga.

And despite the medical retirement of Tristan Clark before the start of the season, the Bears still have plenty of frontcourt depth. Mark Vital may be just 6’5 but he’s one of the best individual frontcourt defenders in the country. He can guard Drew Timme one-on-one and make his life rough inside. And UNLV transfer Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua has been the perfect fit off the bench, as a capable two-way contributor and big boost of energy and hustle. That doesn’t even include sharpshooting forward Matthew Mayer, who is making 42% of his three-point attempts.

That number is actually a bit short of the 44% three-point mark for the Bears, good for No. 1 in the country. They may not get easy frontcourt buckets but when they get hot from deep, not even Gonzaga could be able to beat them. This would be the battle of the two best backcourts in the country and a high-scoring game as well. We couldn’t get this game in early December but could we see this in April for the title?