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Roughly 24 hours before leading his team to the Men’s Final Four and a 30-0 record, Gonzaga star Jalen Suggs FaceTimed his good friend and Connecticut star Paige Bueckers just after carrying the Huskies to the Women’s Final Four with a game from above. 28 points in a 69-67 win over Baylor in San Antonio on Monday.
Suggs said he planned to congratulate Bueckers – both are former Minnesota high school stars – for the achievement, but instead left their conversation inspired for his final regional game the following night.
“Last night, [Bueckers] said things that really helped me, “said Suggs, who finished with 18 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists in his team’s 85-66 win over USC in the Elite 8.” I had a hard time trying to get my foot in these tournament games. Of course, seeing her come out and play really well like she did, and then talk afterwards … she kind of said a few words, it kind of lifted me up, got me going. Definitely helped tonight. “
Suggs entered Tuesday’s game with 14 combined turnovers in his three previous contests. He finished with three against USC, his lowest in the NCAA tournament. Although he showed composure in the Elite Eight game, he lacked composure watching the Bueckers game on Monday.
Suggs said he was “extremely nervous” and “pacing” until the last buzzer.
“I couldn’t sit down,” he says.
Now Suggs and Gonzaga will take the next step to complete the perfect first season since the 1975-76 Indiana Hoosiers achieved the feat. Since then, the four teams that entered the NCAA tournament with perfect records – Indiana State in 1979, UNLV in 1991, Wichita State in 2014, and Kentucky in 2015 – have failed to win the national championship.
But coach Mark Few said his team are not focused on the story. He said he wanted him to celebrate his Elite Eight victory and then move on to his next game against UCLA.
“Everyone wants us to keep moving forward, but that’s not how we ride,” he said after the game. “It’s a hell of an accomplishment. We’re going to take it and savor it for what it is. It doesn’t diminish our desire to win this game, the next game or win two more games. We are wise enough to know that These are really, really special times. These are great accomplishments, and they need to be celebrated. That’s how we’re approaching it right now.
Tuesday’s game was an impressive performance for the Bulldogs against a USC team that had dominated Kansas and Oregon en route to the Elite Eight. But a Gonzaga team that hit 50% of their shots and outscored USC 46-32 in paint overwhelmed the Trojans.
Now the pursuit of perfection continues.
Suggs walked into the post-match press conference with a memory around his neck: Few had given him the bigger chunk of the net he cut after Tuesday’s win. Suggs said he wasn’t sure if he was supposed to wear it, but few told him to “keep it”.
While the team aren’t looking too far ahead, Suggs said it’s hard to avoid considering the possibility of an unbeaten season.
“It’s hard not to think about it,” Suggs said. “We try not to think about it and stay focused on the task at hand. It’s a great accomplishment to be mentioned with these teams because they are amazing. Again, we come to play by the standard every day. Gonzaga and each other. I mean, that’s the outcome we get from it. “
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