This year’s March Madness, two of the most talked-about teams are the Gonzaga Bulldogs and the Baylor Bears. The Zags have an undefeated record entering March Madness, while the Bears have 19 wins out of their 20 games so far.
Both teams topped the odds list and even tied at +300. The championship matchup that most fans and experts are looking forward to is between the Bears and Bulldogs. Who wouldn’t? It would be a thrilling game if both teams faced each other in the championship. But the question is, will the Bulldogs keep their clean record? Or will the Bears stain their record?
Bears Versus Bulldogs
Let us compare the Bears’ and the Zags’ best and worst games during the regular season to see their performance side by side. First, let us look into the Gonzaga Bulldogs’ greatest win of the regular season, given that they are the favorite team entering the 2021 March Madness.
Gonzaga Bulldogs
The highest score earned by the Zags in the regular season was 116 where they earned during their game against Portland Pilots last January 10. It was a memorable game as the Bulldogs player Joel Ayayi scored the Zags first-ever triple-double. Even the Gonzaga basketball team’s coach, Mark Few, was surprised with how Ayayi performed.
The Bulldogs is the first team to beat four of the AP’s top 20 teams in NCAA Division 1 College Basketball. The Zags indeed put up a great fight, winning one game after the other having the highest score margin of 45 in their matchup against Dixie State.
However, even though they entered March Madness undefeated, there are still weaknesses or disadvantages associated with the Zags, just like any other tournament team. For the Zags fans, you must watch out for the team’s following weaknesses that can crush them to pieces.
One of the weaknesses they have is the free throw shooting which was very noticeable during the regular season. The Zags only succeeded 65% of their free throws and ranked 296th nationally. Another weakness they have that might slow them down is their backup bigs are unproven.
Additionally, it was also noted during the regular season that the Zags have a low percentage in three-pointers which is also one of their weaknesses. However, luckily for the Bulldogs’ fans, the team will improve these weaknesses if they direct their focus on these things.
Baylor Bears
Now let us go through the Baylor Bears. The Bears’ highest score in the regular season is 112 where they earned during their first match of the season last November 29 against LA-Lafayette.
After 266 days that the Bears were out of the court due to delays in their season opener due to the positive COVID-19 test of coach Scott Drew, the team dominated their opening game.
The Bears shot 56.3% of all their attempts in that particular game, including a 55.6% rating on their three-pointers. That 15 three-pointers recorded by the Bears is the most they had since their opener last season. Their shooting percentage is high, so it is safe to assume that this is one of the team’s strengths.
On the other hand, the Baylor Bears also have their weakness, although not that many. Of course, they are just humans, and no humans are perfect. One of the noticeable flaws of the Bears is their offensive block percentage.
The Bears percentage in the offensive block is 13% which is ranked 350th nationally. When March Madness starts, it is best to monitor if the Bears will face a team that blocks plenty of shots.
Even though The Baylor Bears have the highest usage player in the tournament, Jared Butler shows amazing performance the whole season. He is still in danger of getting his shots blocked.
How Will The Bears Defeat The Zags
Compared to the Zags, the Bears have a high percentage rating when it comes to three-pointers. The three-point shot is also one of the mentioned weaknesses the Zags have, which is why, if they don’t do anything about improving their three-pointer, the Bears will surely aim at this weak point.
The Bears will never even make an effort in doing so as they already have a superb record of three-pointers. They are undeniably amazing this season of the NCAA, which is also proof that they can beat the Zags.
But despite how the Bears performed, a college basketball expert still believes that the Bears will have difficulty pulling the Zags down from the number one spot in the tournament. Yet, the Bears should not lose hope and continue to improve their performance even more to increase their chance of beating the Bulldogs.
There is no way to know whether the Bulldogs will remain undefeated throughout the start of the March Madness tournament. Anything is possible here. We will only hope for the best and watch how each team climbs its way up to the championship ladder.
Takeaway
Each team in every sport has its weaknesses. Therefore the Baylor Bears may end up as the champion of this year’s NCAA tournament, even if the Zags is the heavy favorite. However, if coach Mark Few focuses on improving their weaknesses, the Bears will have a hard time defeating them.
-In Collaboration with Fanduel
