A Moment in Time

History is not as fixed in place as it may seem, even in the moment.

April 05, 2021

Tipoff

“The past is never dead. It’s not even past.”

Forgive me for beginning this newsletter like a 9th grade book report, quoting William Faulkner. It’s just that the line fits so perfectly for the moment. The moment of which I write is the instantly iconic shot heaved by Jalen Suggs on Saturday night that banked off the glass and into the basket mere seconds after UCLA had tied the game in overtime. It was an electric moment, one that captured the excitement that this tournament delivers every few years. Suggs then ran to the scorer’s table and screamed at the fans, including those both flesh and blood and made of cardboard. A chaotic tournament delivered a moment of pure energy and excitement. But the moment immediately led to the predictable debate: how iconic was that shot?

The problem with this debate, as Faulkner noted, is that the past is not a fixed point. It changes position based on the present and future. In fact, the importance of the Suggs shot will change quite a bit in mere hours. Should Gonzaga go on to win the National Championship this evening against Baylor, that banked, running 35-footer will go down as the single moment when Gonzaga saved its season, its undefeated record, and its chance to join the 1976 Indiana team that also went 32-0. But there is a chance that the importance of the shot may dim ever so slightly if Baylor cuts down the nets instead.

The online debate instantly turned to comparisons between what Suggs did and shots from Kris Jenkins to win the National Title for Villanova in 2016, Christian Laettner’s shot at the end of overtime in the 1992 Eastern Regional Final, and the Lorenzo Charles dunk to win the Title for NC State in 1983. Laettner’s shot is widely considered one of or the most iconic moments in NCAA men’s basketball tournament history. Had Duke lost to the Fab Five in the National Title game the following weekend, however, we can assume “The Shot” would not be so widely remembered. After all, Laettner himself hit a similar game-winner in 1990 against UConn before the Blue Devils were drubbed in the National Title game against UNLV. The ‘90 shot from Laettner hardly ever appears in promo videos for the tournament. The ‘92 shot was the signature moment for that Duke team, who would go on to win back-to-back National Titles. It saved their season and chance at history. Such is the case with Sugg’s shot. It hangs here, in this moment between games, at a lofty place in our memories. It is not fixed, though. It may rise higher still.

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Tournament Tracker

It’s The Big Dance! Let’s take a look at NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament action and what lies ahead.

NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament Championship

  • #1 Gonzaga vs. #1 Baylor (9:20 p.m. EDT on CBS)

The Mixtape

The Field of 68 team puts out lots of great content each week. Let’s take a look at some of the highlights.

  • For much of the season, Baylor and Gonzaga were ranked in the top two spots. They were scheduled to play at one point, before COVID cancelled that chance. Here, finally, they square off when the stakes are highest. How do the teams match up? Will Jalen Suggs be able to get the upper hand against Davion Mitchell? Will Mark Vital be able to hold his own against Drew Timme? The rosters are stacked with elite talent. Rob Dauster and Jeff Goodman break it down.

  • All eyes will be on the action tonight, but Goodman & Hummel discuss the big news off the court. Texas hired Chris Beard away from Big 12 rival Texas Tech while North Carolina is getting its head coaching search underway to replace Hall of Famer Roy Williams. Jeff Goodman and Robbie Hummel discuss the latest news around the coaching carousel.

  • We’ve got more breakdown action! It’s a coaching search sandwich here in The Mixtape between two slices of National Title preview. A star-studded group, including Da’Sean Butler, Rob Dauster, John Fanta, and Sam Vecenie, take a look at the Baylor-Gonzaga game. The first question: Will the game live up to the hype? The second question: What are the key matchups? Dauster and crew break it all down.