Busting Brackets
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One loss doesn’t take away from Gonzaga Baskeball’s historic season

By Tristan Freeman

Jan 23, 2021; Spokane, Washington, USA; Gonzaga Bulldogs head coach Mark Few reacts while talking with guard Jalen Suggs (1) during the second half against the Pacific Tigers in at McCarthey Athletic Center. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 23, 2021; Spokane, Washington, USA; Gonzaga Bulldogs head coach Mark Few reacts while talking with guard Jalen Suggs (1) during the second half against the Pacific Tigers in at McCarthey Athletic Center. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-USA TODAY Sports /
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From the very beginning of the 2020-21 season, Gonzaga Basketball was the major storyline. They got the preseason No. 1 ranking for the first time in school history and had to defend it against a top-10 Kansas Jayhawk squad.

But after scoring over 100 points on a Bill Self-led team, the Bulldogs were looked at in a different way. The talk only got bigger after dominant victories over Iowa and Virginia, along with a win over West Virginia when they weren’t at full strength. Gonzaga remained No. 1 and there became a legit possibility of going undefeated, knowing that there wasn’t a team on paper in the WCC that could contend with them.

The Bulldogs went through the conference with little issue, including coming back to beat BYU in the WCC Tournament title game. They entered the NCAA Tournament without a loss and breezed through the West Region to make the Final Four, still unbeaten.

Even with a very good Baylor Bears squad still around, Gonzaga remained the talk of the town. And they survived the ultimate test with the UCLA Bruins and their scorching offense, using a near halfcourt shot from Jalen Suggs in a memorable moment for both program and NCAA Tournament history.

Unfortunately for the Bulldogs, the positive memories ended there. Baylor and its pressure defense/elite three-point shooting proved to be way too much on Monday night, gaining an early double-digit lead. And Suggs being in foul trouble along with Corey Kispert and Drew Timme being ineffective all night turned this highly anticipated game into a blowout loss for the unbeaten Bulldogs losing 86-70.

This team didn’t deserve a fate like this in the final game of the season. Baylor did to Gonzaga what Gonzaga did to almost everyone else this year. Kispert’s All-American senior campaign was overtaken by his struggles in March, while Suggs was just 40 minutes shy of carrying the program to the promise land.

But while the detractors are celebrating, let’s not forget the impact of this season for Gonzaga Basketball. While Kentucky, Duke, Michigan State, and others took a major step back, the Bulldogs were the team to beat from Day 1 to the last day. And while Suggs is off to the NBA, he’ll be replaced by another five-star guard prospect in Hunter Sallis, who credited this season from Gonzaga as the reason why he picked them over Kentucky and North Carolina.

And Sallis isn’t coming alone, as the Bulldogs are the heavy favorite to land No. 1 class of 2021 prospect Chet Holmgren. There are already “way-too-early” power rankings for the 2021-22 season and all of them currently have Gonzaga at the No. 1 spot. And don’t think the class of 2022 recruits isn’t giving this program a closer look, along with the many potential transfers looking for a new team.

Tonight hurts for Gonzaga fans and players, as the quest remains to win a national title. But this program isn’t going anywhere and will be a contender next year and many more after. As long as Mark Few is around, the Bulldogs should be feared by the other 350+ Division 1 programs.

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They may have lost tonight but Gonzaga Basketball was “winners” all season long. And for those that still don’t believe in them, good luck when your team faces them next.