Baylor to face Gonzaga in NCAA men’s basketball final

Baylor and Gonzaga will contest the NCAA men’s basketball championship on Monday, the culmination of an unusual Final Four tournament marked by surprises and the absence of fans due to the pandemic.

The Baylor Bears (27-2) beat the Houston Cougars (28-4) 78-59 in the first semifinal on Saturday.

The Gonzaga Bulldogs beat the UCLA Bruins 93-90 in overtime in the second semifinal.

Mexican American Jaime Jaquez Jr. scored 19 points, recovered 5 rebounds and distributed 4 assists for the UCLA Bruins.

Gonzaga (31-0) is looking to be the first team to win the NCAA championship since Indiana in 1976. The West Coast Conference Bulldogs are seeking their first national championship.

This will be the second time that Baylor of the Big-12 Conference has advanced to the college basketball final. The other was in 1948, when the Bears lost to Kentucky 58-42.

The Texas Western Miners (UTEP) are the only Texas men’s team to have won the national championship, when in 1966 they defeated the favorite Kentucky Wildcats 72-65.