Gonzaga basketball to face Baylor at Sanford Pentagon in 2021 title game rematch

Matt Zimmer, Sioux Falls Argus Leader
·2 min read
FILE -Baylor forward Flo Thamba (0) fights for a rebound with Gonzaga forward Drew Timme (2) during the first half of the championship game in the men's Final Four NCAA college basketball tournament, Monday, April 5, 2021, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
FILE -Baylor forward Flo Thamba (0) fights for a rebound with Gonzaga forward Drew Timme (2) during the first half of the championship game in the men's Final Four NCAA college basketball tournament, Monday, April 5, 2021, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
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The Sanford Pentagon has brought big-time college basketball to Sioux Falls many times before, but Friday’s tilt between Gonzaga and Baylor – the Peacock Classic – ranks up there with the best of them.

A rematch of the 2021 national championship game, the Bears are ranked 6th in the Division I Top 25, while the Bulldogs are No. 14. These are two teams who are in the national title hunt year after year and are hoping to be again in March.

Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. The game, which is old out, will be streamed live on Peacock.

Gonzaga is 5-2, with wins over Michigan State and a fourth-ranked Kentucky, and losses to No. 11 Texas and No. 24 Purdue.

Once known as the answer to the trivia question ‘Where did John Stockton go to college?’, the Zags have long since become a mid-major that’s no longer really a mid-major. They’ve been to the national championship game twice since 2017 (falling both times), the Elite Eight three times and made the NCAA tournament every year since 1999.

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Now in their 24th year under coach Mark Few, the Bulldogs have averaged almost 32 wins per season over the last 10 and won 21 of the last 22 West Coast Conference titles. This year’s team is led by 6-10 senior Drew Timme, an All-American and last year’s WCC player of the year. Timme averages 20 points and 7.4 rebounds per game.

The Bears are coming off a humbling loss to Marquette on Tuesday night that dropped them to 5-2 on the season. Their other loss came to No. 16 Virginia, while they have a win over No. 8 UCLA.

More:Gonzaga vs. Baylor set for December at Sanford Pentagon in potential top 10 NCAA basketball game

Baylor went 27-7 last year, following up their national championship with a second straight Big 12 title but getting upset early in the NCAA tournament. Scott Drew is in his 20th year as the Bears coach, and has taken them to the Big Dance 10 times.

This year’s Bears are a fast-paced attacking offense led by the guard play of LJ Cryer, Adam Flagler and Keyonte George. Cryer averages 18 points per game while Flagler averages 17.9 points, seven assists and was shooting 54 percent from 3 before Tuesday’s loss to the Golden Eagles.

Baylor is making its Pentagon debut, while the Zags played here in 2020. They were ranked No. 1 in the country that night and beat No. 3 Iowa.

This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Gonzaga to face Baylor at Sanford Pentagon in 2021 title game rematch