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Gonzaga Basketball

Jalen Suggs, Drew Timme earn all-tournament nods despite Gonzaga’s championship loss

Gonzaga freshman guard Jalen Suggs, who scored 22 points Monday in Indianapolis, celebrates one of his second-half baskets in front of Baylor forward Flo Thamba. (Michael Conroy/Associated Press)
By Theo Lawson theol@spokesman.com(509) 459-5584

INDIANAPOLIS – Jalen Suggs and Drew Timme didn’t collect the hardware they were chasing in Indianapolis, but Gonzaga’s top two players at the 2021 NCAA Tournament still left Lucas Oil Stadium with some recognition.

Suggs, who hit the winning, buzzer-beating 3-pointer that sent Gonzaga to the national championship game, and Timme, who scored at least 22 points in four consecutive NCAA Tournament games, were both named to the all-tournament team for the Final Four.

Suggs and Timme were joined by UCLA’s Johnny Juzang and Baylor guards Jared Butler and Davion Mitchell. Butler, who scored 22 points in leading Baylor past top-seeded Gonzaga 86-70 in Monday’s national championship game, was named the most outstanding player.

In what could’ve been his last game in a Gonzaga uniform, Suggs, the freshman phenom from Minnesota, led his team with 22 points and was key in helping the Bulldogs close their deficit to nine points in the second half.

Suggs was on the edge of a triple-double in Gonzaga’s Elite Eight win over USC, scoring 18 points with 10 rebounds and eight assists.

Timme was held to 12 points in the national championship but was still Gonzaga’s top scorer in the tournament, averaging 20.3 points. The sophomore forward from Texas scored a career-high 30 points in a Sweet 16 win over Oklahoma, then followed with 22, 23 and 25 in games against Creighton, USC and UCLA, respectively. Timme averaged 6.5 assists to go with 3.6 assists.

Mitchell was the Bears’ third-leading scorer on Monday but was one of Baylor’s top defenders in the 16-point victory. He rounded out his stat line with six rebounds and five assists. In a 78-59 win over Houston in the Final Four, Mitchell had a double-double of 12 points and 11 assists.

In the title game, Butler’s 22 points came on just 6-of-14 shooting, but the junior guard had a game-high four 3-pointers on nine attempts from beyond the arc. Butler’s seven assists were the most by a player on either team.

UCLA’s Juzang was the tournament’s top scorer entering Saturday’s Final Four game against Gonzaga. The sophomore guard didn’t stop in the national semifinal, scoring 29 points after registering 28 in the Elite Eight against Michigan. Juzang had 20-point games in the tournament against BYU (27) and Michigan State (23).