The 2021 Closing Four is right here in men’s college basketball, and it is dominated by heavyweights and historical packages. Even in an NCAA match wherein Cinderellas got so much of the spotlight, the penultimate and final stages will characteristic two teams that had been talked about all season long — the Gonzaga Bulldogs and the Baylor Bears — as smartly as Houston Cougars and UCLA Bruins squads that hold had hoops greatness written into their DNA for an extended time.
Because the sport takes a breath before Saturday’s Closing Four, ESPN.com’s panel of Myron Medcalf, Jeff Borzello, John Gasaway and Joe Lunardi discusses the apparently inevitable matchup of destiny that has been Gonzaga vs. Baylor; the greatest boundaries in the path of the 2020-21 campaign’s top two packages; the Closing Four coach who has done doubtlessly the most simple job this season; and the oddities of an tournament played amid the realities of the coronavirus pandemic. Apply this hyperlink for Saturday’s Closing Four tip times, and consult with right here to take a look at your March Madness bracket or second-likelihood March Madness bracket.
With apologies to Houston and UCLA, we hold now apparently been trending in direction of a Gonzaga-Baylor nationwide championship recreation since November and doubtlessly before. As you gaze at the Closing Four matchups, what’s the single greatest possibility to a Zags-Bears assembly on Monday night?
Medcalf: I deem history is the greatest possibility for Gonzaga. Once the NCAA expanded the field in 1985 and build six games between a group and the nationwide championship, no group has entered the tournament with a ideal myth and left with one. The 1975-76 Indiana group’s ideal season unfolded appropriate a twelve months after the field had been expanded to 32 teams. That used to be 45 years in the past. Then Larry Rooster all correct away met Magic Johnson in 1979. The 1990-91 UNLV squad had destroyed ranked teams that season before losing to Duke. The Runnin’ Rebels seemed invincible. Wichita Utter had an uphill climb with Kentucky hopeful for it in the second spherical in 2014. But the 2015 Kentucky squad used to be a juggernaut. All of them misplaced.
Tuesday’s effort by Gonzaga suggests there might presumably well be a trouble between the Bulldogs and the remaining teams, even Baylor, though the Bears hold offered so much of evidence they’re going to steal that recreation if it happens. Houston appropriate retains neutralizing opponents. And the UCLA flee, capped by a steal over Michigan in the Elite Eight? Wild. All three of these reasonably about a teams can even be unhealthy. Over 45 years, nonetheless, others love Gonzaga hold reached this level. And it appropriate did now not happen. Gonzaga might presumably well be reasonably about a. But the Bulldogs are combating history — and the teams standing in their device.
Borzello: I would say Houston’s offensive rebounding. The Cougars are the second-easiest offensive rebounding group in the nation, and they fully destroyed Oregon Utter on the glass in the Elite Eight, getting second-likelihood opportunity after second-likelihood opportunity against the Beavers’ zone protection. Baylor would now not hold too many weaknesses, but one of them is the Bears’ defensive rebounding considerations. They completed eighth in the Enormous 12 in defensive rebounding share, and they’re in the backside 100 nationally in that class. I don’t deem Houston is going to be intimidated by Baylor on Saturday night; the Cougars are bodily and advanced, and they establish no longer seek data from to steal fairly. If they’re going to dominate the glass, they’re going to hold a shot at ruining the Gonzaga-Baylor dream matchup.
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Designate Very indispensable cleans up a plod over with a putback flush as Baylor reaches the Closing Four for the indispensable time in 71 years.
Gasaway: The greatest possibility to a Gonzaga-Baylor title recreation in my discover is a Bears opponent that would now not commit turnovers. Since we’re all the manner down to appropriate person that that you just would be in a position to deem BU opponent in between Scott Drew’s group and the winner on the reasonably about a aspect of the bracket, that burden falls to Houston. Baylor has compelled the likes of Wisconsin, Villanova and Arkansas to commit many turnovers. That’s impressive, because all three of these teams took stunning care of the ball at some stage in the everyday season. If an opponent ever did shut off that valve, nonetheless, it could truly in all probability presumably well accumulate a measurable distinction for the Bears. On “efficient” (turnover-less) match possessions, Baylor is outscoring its opponents by a worthy smaller margin.
Lunardi: Ten years after VCU pulled its “First Four to the Closing Four” heroics, UCLA has repeated the feat and might presumably well be doubtlessly the most novel to grief the Gonzaga juggernaut. The Bruins hold fully no industry knocking off the Zags and combating a Bulldogs-Baylor championship recreation, but we’d hold stated the identical thing before any of UCLA’s five amazing wins on this match.
Designate Few, Scott Drew, Kelvin Sampson and Mick Cronin are your Closing Four coaches. The debate on who has doubtlessly the most simple group might presumably well be too easy, so which of these four gentlemen has done doubtlessly the most simple job in 2020-21?
Borzello: Exhausting to plod against Mick Cronin staunch now by project of March performance. The Bruins misplaced Chris Smith, arguably their easiest participant, to a torn ACL. Jalen Hill has been out for private causes. The Bruins seemed misplaced over the final few weeks of the season, losing four in a row before the NCAA match. After which they had been left for lifeless after being down by 13 in the indispensable half to Michigan Utter in the First Four. The Bruins haven’t misplaced since, and they’ve seemed as much as creep for many of the past 165 minutes of basketball.
Cronin had questions going through him when he took over the UCLA job: How would he, a Midwest man through and through, adapt to Los Angeles? How would his label of basketball — bodily, grueling, half-court basketball — adapt to a fan wicked hopeful for fireworks and five-stars? He has answered these questions. Lower than two years after being employed, Cronin has the Bruins in the Closing Four.
Lunardi: Bobby Knight used to be the coach of the twelve months in 1976 when Indiana performed the last undefeated nationwide championship season. With or with out that distinction in 2021, Gonzaga has dominated the sport now not like any group since UNLV in 1990-91. Designate Few constructed these Bulldogs, and he has them enjoying at a ridiculously high stage. That screams “did doubtlessly the most simple job” to me in every device it is miles also stated.
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Gonzaga’s Drew Timme flushes a two-handed jam and will get his mustache in on the celebration.
Medcalf: Designate Few did now not attain his first Elite Eight until his 16th season as a head coach. Kelvin Sampson did it in his 15th season as a Division I head coach. Scott Drew pulled it off in his seventh season. It took Mick Cronin 18 seasons and three colleges to attain that feat. Now, Cronin has led UCLA back to the Closing Four. This flee has been nothing short of magical. If anybody doubted the initial starting up on this flee, it is no longer possible for them to disclaim the rate of wins over Alabama and Michigan, two teams that entered the NCAA match with legit Closing Four aspirations. It be no longer relevant what happens subsequent. Cronin is unquestionably doubtlessly the most impressive coach in the combo staunch now. That is one of doubtlessly the most eminent turnarounds we hold now considered in college basketball history.
Gasaway: I believed Juwan Howard used to be college basketball’s coach of the twelve months in 2020-21, and I used to be on his bandwagon from day one. I’m leaping off now, no longer appropriate because Michigan is now not any longer right here but because I’m no longer sure we’re fully comprehending appropriate how smartly Gonzaga is enjoying.
As my colleague Mr. Borzello build it smartly at some stage in the regional last, USC used to be unable to so worthy as lay a glove on the Bulldogs. And we are talking about a Trojans group that beat Kansas by, what, 816 functions, staunch? It be wild, and when a group is that this end to doing one thing we haven’t considered in 45 years, we flee the possibility of future archaeologists pondering we had been inept when we did now not give Designate Few some accumulate of recognition. Plus, the man has constructed this program to the stage the attach it is miles at the moment time. (Certain, Dan Monson, Mike Roth and Dan Fitzgerald all had a hand on this miracle too.) Few has my vote.
Rather then the basketball — which has been fairly factual! — this has been an undeniably irregular match played underneath doubtlessly the most intriguing conditions in the sport’s history. What are you going to be awake most referring to the pandemic match?
Medcalf: I might be awake how these diminished crowds at Lucas Oil Stadium, Bankers Lifestyles Fieldhouse and Hinkle Fieldhouse screamed for two hours to cheer their teams on. No, it has no longer sounded love a smartly-liked NCAA match crowd. But there used to be aloof an environment. And college basketball has largely been lacking that environment for as a minimum a twelve months. After leading Houston to the Closing Four on Monday, Kelvin Sampson observed about a of his company up in the stands and threw up his fingers to acknowledge them. It used to be a fab second in a match that has had about a irregular moments. Whereas we’ll positively esteem extra historical preparations in the arrival years, everybody eager made this truly feel staunch in 2021. Assorted, sure. But aloof staunch. No longer sure we can hold imagined that a twelve months in the past.
Gasaway: I might be awake that there had been zero complaints referring to the attach a group used to be enjoying because every group used to be enjoying in the identical yell: Indiana, and, on the entire, Indianapolis. That used to be good, and it used to be still to gape a entire vein of controversy merely disappear. The thing I did no longer love, conversely, used to be never colorful what day it used to be. To no longer hold the spherical of 64 starting up on Thursday at midday ET and to no longer hold the spherical of 32 starting up on Saturday puzzled me thoroughly in ways that extended outside basketball. I for one might be delighted to return to the stale acquainted time desk, allow us to hope, in 2022.
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Max Abmas brings the ball up court for Oral Roberts and drains a step-back 3-pointer vs. Arkansas.
Borzello: Strolling from one aspect of Lucas Oil Stadium to the reasonably about a aspect and watching two reasonably about a games separated by a curtain in the heart of the stadium. It be a recurring deal, man. The intriguing logistics of this entire match — from the single space to the switch in match time desk to the standalone Sweet 16 games — had been doubtlessly the most memorable aspect of the past three weeks. After all, there’s Max Abmas‘ performance and Alex Reese‘s shot and Gonzaga’s overall dominance, but the individuality of the entirety has truly stood out to me.
Lunardi: Gonzaga’s historical excellence, and the actual fact that there had been no indispensable complaints on Option Sunday. Perchance we had been appropriate so doggone happy to hold the match back that we did now not nitpick the 68-group field. Perchance the pandemic-altered season gave everybody some fundamental level of view. Or even the boys’s basketball committee merely did a marvelous job underneath impossible conditions. The committee, alongside with Dan Gavitt and the NCAA group, might presumably aloof be remembered for a job smartly done in both believing that a match used to be that you just would be in a position to deem and then pulling it off.
