INDIANAPOLIS – Eighteen years ago, Scott Drew said he came to Baylor "for a chance to win a national championship."
Monday night, he did.
Led by 69 points from the backcourt quartet of Jared Butler, MaCio Teague, Davion Mitchell and Adam Flagler, the Baylor Bears put an end to top-ranked Gonzaga's undefeated season with a resounding 86-70 victory in the national championship at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Baylor (28-2), putting a bow around the best season in program history, jumped out to a 9-0 lead in the first three minutes and never trailed in handing the Bulldogs (31-1) their first loss in an otherwise perfect season.
Gonzaga, trying to become just the eighth undefeated national champion and first since Indiana went 32-0 in 1976, whittled a 19-point lead down to 10 by halftime, 47-37, and even got back within single digits in the first six minutes of the second half.
But, the Bears responded with a 9-2 run capped by a Flagler 3-pointer that pushed the lead back to 16.
Butler scored 12 of his 22 points in the second half and matched Gonzaga freshman Jalen Suggs for game-high scoring honors to earn Most Outstanding Player honors on a Final Four all-tournament team that included Mitchell, Suggs, the Bulldogs' Drew Timme and UCLA's Johnny Juzang.
Teague (19), Mitchell (15) and Flagler (13) also scored in double figures and Mark Vital chipped in with six points and 11 boards, helping the Bears dominate the rebounding battle, 38-22, and outscore Gonzaga, 16-5, in second-chance points.
Timme and first-team All-American Corey Kispert added 12 points apiece for the Bulldogs, who lost in the final for the second time in the last four tournaments.
Baylor is just the second men's basketball team from Texas to win a national championship, matching Texas Western's 1966 national title. This is also Baylor's fifth NCAA national championship across all sports and the first in a men's sport since tennis won the school's first in 2004.
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