Gonzaga narrowly avoided a monumental upset to No. 11 UCLA to move on to the national championship game and preserve its perfect season.
Two wins away from destiny, top-seeded and undefeated Gonzaga was on the brink of suffering one of the biggest upsets in tournament history against No. 11 UCLA. Instead, freshman phenom Jalen Suggs saved the day.
Gonzaga beat UCLA, 93–90, on Suggs's buzzer-beating three-pointer in overtime to maintain its perfect season and advance to its second national championship game in program history.
UCLA led for most of the first half before a late run gave the Bulldogs a 45–44 lead at the break. The second half was back-and-forth the entire way, with several lead changes down the stretch.
UCLA would have been the first No. 11 seed ever to play for the national championship. The previous lowest-seeded team was No. 8, which has happened three times: Villanova in 1985, Butler in 2011 and Kentucky in 2014.
UCLA had a chance to win the game with the final possession of regulation, but Johnny Juzang was called for a charge in the last second.
Juzang, who's carried the Bruins for the entire tournament, scored 29 points on 12-for-18 shooting, with six rebounds, two assists and two steals. He scored with fewer than six seconds left in overtime to tie the game. Juzang has averaged 22.8 points per game in six tournament games.
Gonzaga is aiming to be the first men's basketball team in 45 years to finish the season undefeated. The last team to accomplish that feat was Indiana in 1975–76, as the Hoosiers finished the year 32–0.
Suggs finished the game with 16 points on 6-for-12 shooting, with five rebounds, six assists, two steals and one block. Prior to this game, Gonzaga had won 27 consecutive days by double-digits.
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