INDIANAPOLIS – The shot by Jalen Suggs – perfect!
The first-year student of Gonzaga fired a shot at the buzzer from inside the halfway mark on Saturday night to elevate the Zags to a 93-90 victory over UCLA and move them one win away from an unbeaten season and a national title.
It was the best match of the tournament, and, considering the game, perhaps the best finish in the history of March Madness – a banker from near the middle to keep a perfect season alive.
After the shot goes in, Suggs runs to the mostly empty press row, jumps up, and pumps his fists a few times. The refs checked to make sure he got the chance before the buzzer sounded. He did, and the Bulldogs advanced to Monday night’s final, where they will play Baylor for the title.
They are the first team to break an unbeaten record in the championship since Larry Bird and the Indiana States in 1979.
Even without Suggs’ shot, it would have been difficult to beat this game for sheer excitement.
It contained 15 tires and 19 preliminary changes and an 11th-seeded UCLA team that simply would not surrender. Although they lost, the Bruins scored a streak of 27 consecutive two-digit wins by Mark Few’s team.
The Bruins were the first team to lead Gonzaga in the second half of the tournament and had a chance to win at the end of the regulation.
With the game tied at 81, Jules Bernard took it hard to the hoop in the final seconds when Zags forward Drew Timme, who played with four fouls, stepped into the paint, planted his feet and charged took.
Gonzaga attempted a Grant Hill-to-Christian Laettner campaign pass with 0.7 seconds left to win in regulation. It did not connect. Five minutes later, Suggs possibly hit Laettner’s shot down from a spot on the list of everyday players.