When the 2021 March Madness Tournament began, two schools were given the highest odds to win the college basketball national championship: Gonzaga and Baylor.
Fast forward through the rest of the tournament and those two teams are the last ones standing. When the dust settles, either Gonzaga will remain undefeated or Baylor will stop them from joining the history books at the last possible moment.
The world will know the answer to that on Monday, April 5 at 9:20 pm ET.
After winning the West Region, No. 1 Gonzaga advanced to the Final Four to play No. 11 UCLA. The game was closer than anyone could’ve expected as UCLA refused to give up without a fight. In the end, Jalen Suggs wound up winning it for Gonzaga with an incredible buzzer-beater, giving the Bulldogs the 93-90 win.
On the other hand, No. 1 Baylor got an early lead in its game against No. 2 Houston. Five Bears players had 10 or more points, making the 78-59 win a real team effort.
Now, in the March Madness Finals, BetOnline is leaning towards Gonzaga remaining undefeated and winning the national championship. The Bulldogs’ odds of winning sit at -195, while the Bears’ are at +170.
March Madness Odds: Gonzaga vs. Baylor
Odds via BetOnline as of Monday, April 5
- Point Spread: Gonzaga -4.5 (-110) vs. Baylor +4.5 (-110)
- Moneyline: Gonzaga -195, Baylor +170
- Over/Under: Over 159.5 (-110), Under 159.5 (-110)
Road to the March Madness Finals
Gonzaga
- Round of 64:98-55 vs. No. 16 Norfolk State
- Round of 32: 87-71 vs. No. 8 Oklahoma
- Sweet 16: 83-65 vs. No. 5 Creighton
- Elite Eight: 85-66 vs. No. 6 USC
- Final Four: 93-90 vs. No. 11 UCLA
Baylor
- Round of 64: 79-55 vs. No. 16 Hartford
- Round of 32: 76-63 vs. No. 9 Wisconsin
- Sweet 16: 62-51 vs. No. 5 Villanova
- Elite Eight: 81-72 vs. No. 3 Arkansas
- Final Four: 78-59 vs. No. 2 Houston
Will Gonzaga Remain Undefeated to Win National Championship?
It’s hard to say something new that hasn’t already been said about Gonzaga’s dominance. They’re 31-0 and had previously won 27 games in a row by double digits before squeaking out the win against UCLA. The trio of Drew Timme, Jalen Suggs and Corey Kispert continue to be the March Madness Most Outstanding Player favorites. Each of them had 15 or more points against UCLA. The team even had Joel Ayayi step up in the Final Four by posting a 22/6/2 stat line while shooting 75.0% from the field.
It’s tough to envision a world where Gonzaga loses. Obviously, it’s possible after the team needed a buzzer-beater to beat UCLA. But it just seems like everything goes right for the Bulldogs when they need it. They’re also the highest-scoring team in the NCAA, averaging 91.6 points per game. While Baylor can score at a high pace too (82.8 ppg), it’ll be interesting to see how the Bears keep up with them.
Can Baylor Stop Gonzaga’s March Madness Run?
It might be a thing of the past now, but Baylor was nearly undefeated before entering March Madness. A lot of experts were wondering whether Baylor or Gonzaga would remain undefeated longer. Unfortunately, Baylor lost twice in the weeks leading up to the tournament, however, they’ve looked much better through the first five rounds, outscoring opponents 376-300.
One thing that Baylor does better than any other college basketball team is shooting three-pointers (41.2%). You may be thinking that Gonzaga has a pretty good team, so the three-ball shouldn’t be that much of an issue. Well, Houston was the best team at defending three-pointers in March Madness and Baylor still hit 45.8% of their 3s against them. Davion Mitchell, MaCio Teague and Jared Butler are Baylor’s trio with good odds to win Most Outstanding Player. That trio and the rest of the Bears will have to hit their three-pointers if they want the best chance to beat Gonzaga.
