A national championship has always eluded Mark Few and the Gonzaga Bulldogs, but they are 40 minutes away from history. The mid-major powerhouse got one step closer to its goal on Tuesday with a win. Now they’re headed to the national championship. Let’s take a look back at Gonzaga’s March Madness run.
How Gonzaga made the 2021 National Championship Game
Gonzaga finished the regular season undefeated and went on to win the West Coast Conference for the eighth time in the last decade. The Bulldogs entered the postseason as the country’s undisputed top team, and coasted to a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Then Gonzaga began a ridiculously dominant run en route to the Final Four.
The Bulldogs kicked off their tournament by breaking their school record for points scored during March Madness. They throttled No. 16 Norfolk State in the first round, 98-55. Gonzaga beat a much better No. 8 Oklahoma team 87-71 in the second round before knocking off No. 5 Creighton 83-65 in the Sweet 16. No. 6 USC and future NBA lottery pick Evan Mobley were the next victims in an 85-66 win that sent Gonzaga to the Final Four for the second time in program history.
And then in one of the best college basketball games ever played, Jalen Suggs hit a 40-foot running bank shot buzzer-beater for a 93-90 win to advance to the national championship game.
When did Gonzaga last appear in the National Championship Game?
The Bulldogs made it to the Final Four just once before this season in 2017, knocking off Frank Martin’s South Carolina 77-70 before falling to North Carolina 71-65 in the championship game.
How many times has Gonzaga appeared in the National Championship Game?
This will be just the second appearance for Gonzaga in the title game, and they’ll look to capture their first championship.