Gonzaga has been the best program in college basketball over the last seven years, its record a ridiculous 223–24 since the start of the 2016–17 season. But once again, the Bulldogs have missed out on the ultimate prize in the NCAA tournament, blown out Saturday by 28 points against UConn to end the career of star big man Drew Timme and leave the program still without a national championship. The Huskies, winners by double digits in their first three NCAA tournament games, outclassed Gonzaga Saturday, leading by as many as 33 and trailing for less than a minute of the 40-minute game.
The Bulldogs hung around early, but couldn’t withstand the early second-half blitz that has become UConn’s M.O. this tournament. In four games, the Huskies have outscored opponents by 37 points in the first five minutes of the second half, and Saturday, they extended a seven-point halftime edge to 19 in that stretch. Timme’s fourth foul was a defining moment in that run, a questionable whistle away from the play on a rebound that came with 17:39 to go and the Huskies threatening to pull away. With Timme sidelined, the game got away quickly, and with it went another chance at breaking through that championship glass ceiling.
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