Gonzaga's Mark Few: I Wish Someone Had Warned Me About Baylor's Physicality
TYLER CONWAYAPRIL 20, 2021Gonzaga ran into a brick wall in its national championship game loss to Baylor earlier this month. Bulldogs coach Mark Few said Monday he wished someone had warned him about Baylor's physicality.
"That was the most physical game we've played in the last five years," Few told Dana O'Neil of The Athletic. "I wish somebody had told me on Sunday morning that's what we were in for. My guys would have responded. I wasn't ready to go there."
Of course, Few knew Baylor was a physical team coming into the game. Experiencing it in person was another thing entirely.
Baylor bullied Gonzaga on its way to a dominant 86-70 victory to capture the program's first national championship. The Bears ripped down 38 rebounds to Gonzaga's 22 and forced 14 turnovers as their length and athleticism overwhelmed Few's team.
He told The Athletic:
"At first, I mean, you're 31-1 and you feel like, I don't know? 1-31? Kinda. And then you slap yourself and say, 'C'mon, man.' In 40 minutes you can't go from people saying you were the greatest team ever to whatever they're saying now. I never bought into the greatest ever, and I'm not going to buy into the Oh, my God, what happened? We're all good. The program reigns supreme."
Few didn't waste much time readying his program for the future. 247Sports' No. 1 overall high school prospect Chet Holmgren announced his commitment to Gonzaga on Monday, giving the Bulldogs their highest-rated prospect in program history.
With tournament star Drew Timme expected back for his junior season, there's a good chance Gonzaga will find itself playing for a national title again in 2022.
