NCAA men's basketball championship: Gonzaga set to battle Baylor

April 5 (UPI) -- The undefeated Gonzaga Bulldogs and the second-seeded Baylor Bears will square off Monday in the NCAA men's basketball national championship game at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

Much like the 2019 tournament, a first-time champion will be crowned. Virginia beat Texas Tech in 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic forced the 2020 tournament to be canceled.

Gonzaga, which is appearing in the title game for the first time since 2017, advanced to Monday's final with an overtime win over UCLA on Saturday night. In a game that featured 19 lead changes, star guard Jalen Suggs sank a half-court shot at the buzzer to cement the Bulldogs' place in the final.

In the Zags' pursuit of their first title in program history, the team also is seeking the first undefeated season since 1976, when the Indiana Hoosiers went unbeaten.

The Bulldogs (31-0), the tournament's No. 1 overall seed, were the third team to enter the Final Four with a spotless record since the bracket expanded to 64 teams in 1985.

Baylor, the tournament's No. 2 overall seed, hasn't appeared in the men's final since 1948, when it lost to Kentucky. Before this year, the school's last Final Four appearance came in 1950.

The Bears (27-2) have rolled through the tournament, winning all five games by nine points or more. They reached the title game following their dominant 78-59 victory over No. 2 seed Houston on Saturday.

One of the key matchups to watch will be Baylor's Jared Butler and Gonzaga's Suggs. Butler has averaged 13.8 points in the NCAA tournament, while Suggs has averaged 13 points per game, including a 16-point outing against the Bruins on Saturday.

Gonzaga big man Drew Timme also will present a challenge for Baylor. Timme, who won the 2021 Karl Malone Award as the nation's best power forward, is averaging 22 points and 6.8 rebounds over five games this month.

Gonzaga is a 4.5-point favorite in the latest odds at William Hill Sportsbook. The over-under for total points scored is 159.5.

Here are the full results from the men's Final Four, with the TV schedule and game time for Monday's national championship game:

Saturday, Final Four

No. 1 Baylor 78, No. 2 Houston 59

No. 1 Gonzaga 93, No. 11 UCLA 90

Monday, NCAA National Championship Game

No. 1 Gonzaga (West Region) vs. No. 1 Baylor (South Region)

How to Watch

Monday night's national title game between Gonzaga and Baylor will air at 9:20 p.m. EDT on CBS. Viewers also can live stream the matchup on CBS' website or the CBS app.