UCLA did what no one all season was able to do. They were able to go possession by possession with the mighty Gonzaga Bulldogs. There were multiple times where it looked like Gonzaga had regained control. There were multiple times where it looked like UCLA was going to pull the amazing upset and end Gonzaga’s undefeated season. And then 3.3 seconds defined history.

I wanted to have the perfect way to summarize everything – and so I am going to give credit to ESPN. Because right now on the front page of ESPN is a video of the moment of the tournament – I copied a screen shot of it – but to give them full credit, I will also provide the link in the caption to their full story and the video of the incredible last 10 seconds.

This game had so many shifts in momentum. UCLA showed how they were really good all tournament at playing the game at their pace and coming up with efficient shots. Gonzaga showed their incredible ability to quickly get to the basket and score.

Gonzaga built a 7 point lead with around 11 minutes left – and it looked like the Bulldogs were starting to do what they do to everyone. But like Gonzaga in the first half, the Bruins came back as Tyger Campbell made a layup to give UCLA a 71-70 lead with 6 minutes to go. The game stayed within one possession the rest of the half.

Momentum can change so quickly with Gonzaga. With two minute in a tie game, UCLA got the ball into Cody Riley that looked like it would lead to a huge dunk to give the Bruins the lead. Instead, Jalen Suggs came from behind and blocked the shot. Then, he chased the ball down in the corner, and started to push the ball up court. Then as if he did it directly off his dribble, Suggs threw a beautiful one handed bounce pass to Drew Timme that led to a Gonzaga dunk. It looked like UCLA was going to take the lead, and in just 6 seconds, they found themselves back down by 2.

Of course, UCLA had the ultimate answer to everything – Johnny Juzang. On the next possession, Juzang tied the game back up at 79 off a jumper as he did so many times in this tournament.

The teams traded points (Gonzaga with a basket, UCLA with free throws) – giving Gonzaga a chance to try to take the lead one more time in regulation with 40 seconds left. But this time, Cody Riley would repay the favor and block one of Suggs’ drives to the basket. And then Corey Kispert missed a deep three-pointer to give UCLA the chance to win the game.

UCLA couldn’t have asked for a better situation. 15 seconds left in a tie game. And the ball in Johnny Juzang’s hands. All tournament, Juzang had been coming up big at the end of the game. But this time, Juzang drove to the basket, and Drew Timme took his position in the middle of the lane to draw the charge. This game was heading to overtime.

Timme continued to come up big in the start of the overtime – he made three layups to lead Gonzaga to a 4 point lead with 3 minutes to play. Cody Riley would cut the lead to 2 with a little over 2 minutes to play. Then Gonzaga looked like they put the dagger in UCLA’s heart. With 1:17 left on the clock, Gonzaga’s amazing ball movement found the ball in Andrew Nembhard’s hands – where he drained a three-pointer to put the Bulldogs up 5.

Strangely, UCLA brought the ball up slowly and eventually called time-out – draining a good 20 seconds off the clock. I was telling Elizabeth that I really didn’t like this because Gonzaga can score so quickly. You have to make up 5 points on a team that can score points at will – don’t let time slip off the clock. But UCLA set up their offense, and Tyger Campbell found Jaime Jaquez Jr in the corner for a three-pointer to bring the game back to 2.

Now, UCLA had the most amazing task. With 50 seconds left and a 2 point lead, you know Gonzaga is going to take some time off the clock before they run their offense. All UCLA has to do is stop the best offensive team in college basketball, so they can get the ball back with a chance to tie or win the game. But if they fail, they will only have 20 seconds to come back from at least 4 points down.

And like UCLA has done all tournament, the Bruins defied the odds. They played tough defense, stopped Gonzaga’s attempts to get the ball in the lane where they score at will, and forced the Bulldogs to settle for a three-pointer, which Corey Kispert missed. And so everyone knew where the ball was going with 20 seconds.

Johnny Juzang got the ball, drove into the lane and pulled up for a jumper – there would be no charge drawn this time. Juzang’s jumper missed short – but Juzang would not be stopped. He flew to the ball to get his own offensive rebound, slid to the basket and hit the layup to tie the game at 90 with just 3.3 seconds left. And then, someone defied the odds against UCLA.

Gonzaga quickly in-bounded the ball to Jalen Suggs, and he charged up the court. Suggs got a couple feet past the half-court line, and heaved the ball up from the Final Four logo. And sure enough, the ball banked off the backboard as the buzzer went off, and into the basket. Elizabeth and I both screamed in shock of what we just saw. Suggs runs off to the sideline and jumps on one of the announcer’s tables celebrating, closely followed by all of his teammates. UCLA’s amazing run from the First Four to the Final Four was sadly over. They have no reason to hang their heads – they did what no one thought could be done this season, and it took a half-court shot to finally end their season.

Gonzaga off a miracle shot advances to the championship game to play the Baylor Bears – a game that has seemed to be destined to be played all season. Gonzaga and Baylor were the top 2 teams in the preseason polls – Gonzaga in the AP preseason poll, and Baylor in the Coaches preseason poll. The teams were scheduled to meet to hopefully end the debate, but Covid concerns cancelled the game. And then all the Bulldogs and Bears did was win game after game until Kansas finally beat Baylor in late February.

We will likely be watching Jalen Suggs’ shot for many years to come as one of the greatest moments in tournament history. Just imagine how it will rank if Gonzaga can win one more game on Monday night and finish an undefeated season for the first time in 45 years. I am sure that the Baylor Bears might have something to say about that – but for right now, it is incredible that a team that has beaten almost everyone by double digits found their way to the championship game off a shot from basically half-court.

Congratulations to the Gonzaga Bulldogs and the Baylor Bears – call it a miracle, call it destiny, or just call it the two best teams in the country advancing their way to the championship game. Monday night will be the game that college basketball fans have wanted to see all year. But little did the college basketball world know that the game to set up that championship would be an instant classic that will be remembered for a long time.