Tonight, we will see the undefeated Gonzaga Bulldogs face off with a confident Baylor Bears team in the NCAA men’s national championship. This matchup was one that should have happened earlier in the year but was canceled due to some COVID concerns at the time. Now they will face off to determine who the best team in the country is. There was one moment Saturday, however, that may have already determined that.
The Underdog
UCLA was in the play-in game this year to get into the first round of the tournament. They won and continued to win every game with #11 next to their name. Underdog. Saturday, they ran into Gonzaga in the Final Four. This was the closest Gonzaga game all year. The game was tied when UCLA rebounded the ball with fourteen seconds to go.
This was what they needed: a chance to take the ball down and throw up a last-minute shot to take them to the national championship. Time started to slip off the clock, second by second, as they dribbled down the court. Ten seconds. UCLA has the ball at the three-point line. Eight seconds. Now or never. Five seconds. Drive to the basket. Three. Defense steps up. Two. He shoots but hits the defender as it goes up. One. WHISTLE! The referee is calling for a charge and the ball is given back to Gonzaga to send the game to overtime.
I almost spit out the water in my mouth when I saw it live. I could not believe it and neither could the fans in the stands. The fact that a referee had the gall to call an offensive foul in that big of a situation blew my mind. A shooting foul, maybe, but an offensive foul?! Then I saw the replay and I felt like they got the call right! Drew Timme stepped up into the lane and took the charge with the game on the line. He was in position and he wore it.
Overtime
In overtime, Gonzaga went on to nail a half-court buzzer beater to win the game. That shot will be played in March Madness highlights for a very long time. They preserved the undefeated season, for now, and are headed to the national championship game. The highlight we won’t see is Timme taking the charge.
Here is the best part. Timme already had four fouls. If he gets called for the foul he is out of the game and he is handing UCLA two chances to make one free-throw to win the game. Instead, his instincts kicked in with a true “we over me” mentality. Selfish players can destroy team chemistry. Selfless players have a chance to take you all the way to the national championship game.
