Riley Saxon
By Riley Saxon —
Championship Game Predictions
The championship game is perhaps the most anticipated matchup of a college basketball game this century. After Covid cancelled the December matchup between the number one and two teams, the buildup for the game has only been growing. When Jalen Suggs’ heave went down Saturday night, the game everyone seemingly wanted to happen was ready to go. Here are 8 predictions for the historic matchup tonight.
Prediction 1: Drew Timme gets Mark Vital in foul trouble
Cody Riley notched a double and double, stayed out of foul trouble enough and limited Timme’s rebounds, but Timme still had stretches of dominance. Vital brings a bigger load to paint than Riley, but isn’t as nimble. Expect to see a lot of flexing and mustache celebrations.
Prediction 2: MaCio Teague, Davion Mitchell, and Jared Butler will remind us of Dee Brown, Luther Head, and Deron Williams in 2005
Right down to the championship loss, Teague, Butler and Mitchell will be spoken in the same breath as The fighting Illini trio for years to come. They’re going to present interesting matchups for Suggs on both ends of the court and we’ll see some dynamic offense between the three guards all night.
Prediction 3: Matthew Mayer will hit multiple big shots
He always seems to find a way to get open, and it won’t change tonight. As the Zags look to pull away, Mayer will get a couple of great looks and bury them, keeping Baylor within striking distance.
Prediction 4: Jalen Suggs hits a near half court shot to end the first half
It won’t be a back breaker, but it will conjure up a reminder of Saturday’s classic and will start to make Zags fans believe, if they don’t already, that they’re the team of destiny.
Prediction 5: Baylor’s trio of guards will slow Suggs at the start, but he’ll come up with two or three elite plays and will win tournament’s Most Outstanding Player Award
Teague, Mitchell, and Butler present the best chance at slowing Suggs down, and they will, for the first few minutes of the game. But as he has done so many times in the last, Suggs will make a jaw dropping play on the defensive end that will quickly turn it into instant offense for the Zags. From that point on, he won’t look back.
Prediction 6: Davion Mitchell will be deemed the unquestioned “best player” for Baylor this tourney
Mitchell will have one of the best games in a losing effort, as his defense on Suggs and the other Zags guards will disrupt Gonzaga’s flow on offense. With the ball, Mitchell will have his way with the Zags D, but the heroic effort won’t be enough.
Prediction 7: Corey Kispert takes over the game
It’s been a relatively quiet tournament for the All American, although he did hit two clutch shots against UCLA. He seems to be deferring a lot to the other playmakers on Gonzaga, but he will make his presence felt in a big way tonight.
Prediction 8: The game will be close, but the Zags will pull away after the last TV timeout
It won’t be UCLA-Gonzaga close, but still close. Baylor will grab an early lead before Gonzaga takes over–for good–near the end of the first half. That lead won’t balloon too much until the under four timeout, where Kispert will take over and give the Zags a perfect season and their first championship.
College Hoops Breakdown appears every Monday at JoeTorosian.com
Riley Saxon can be reached at:
Email: rileymsaxon@gmail.com
Twitter: @CHoopsBreakdown
