Four teams remaining and for one of these programs, the first one to win two games, will bring home a National Championship to their school and will win one of the most difficult tournaments in all of NCAA collegiate sports.
North Carolina and Gonzaga have both reached the Final Four as #1 seeds and aren’t surprising anyone. However the #3 seed from the Midwest Oregon Ducks and #7 South Carolina from the East division have both defied the odds as many pundits had them facing elimination in the earlier rounds.
The Final Four teams will now leave their respective divisions and make their way to Phoenix Arizona for the final two legs of the month long Madness tournament ahead of their semi-final games on Saturday.
#1 Gonzaga Bulldogs vs #7 South Carolina Gamecocks
The first game on Saturday will see the Gonzaga Bulldogs making their first Final Four appearance in school history and they open up as 6.5 point favourites as per Bet365. The Zags are used to being the feel good, Cinderella team although this year they’ve gone from being the hunters to the hunted. They finished with the best record in division 1 and are coming off an impressive 24 thrashing against this year’s feel good Xavier. Gonzaga are for real and the play of junior guard Nigel Williams-Goss has practically cemented him as a first round pick in this year’s NBA draft. The Bulldogs offense was ignited in a big way on Saturday night as they sank an incredible 12 of 24 from downtown and were able to build a comfortable lead.
The Gamecocks are flying high after a statement 77-70 victory over a very good Florida Gators team on Sunday and continue to re-write their own history books. The Cocks made their first Elite Eight appearance and now followed it up with their inaugural berth into a Final Four, making head coach Frank Martin a hero around campus. South Carolina rode the 26-point performance of East division MVP Sindarius Thornwell. The all-pro point guard from Lancaster South Carolina has enjoyed quite the season in his final year averaging 21.6 points per game playing in a very difficult SEC. Thornwell has been a key cog during the team’s recent run into the Final Four as he’s averaged just shy of 26 points per game through the first four games.
This game will really come down to how Gonzaga defends Thornwell, and whether or not they can keep him off the free throw line where he’s averaged 10 attempts per game.
Gonzaga will have to rely on the one-two punch of Williams-Goss and big man Przemek Kowalski who can be lethal in the low post game.
#1 North Carolina Tar Heels vs #3 Oregon Ducks
Perhaps the game of the tournament thus far happened on Sunday evening when a clash of two NCAA Men’s Basketball titans collided after North Carolina defeated the Kentucky Wildcats 75-73 on a last second bucket. The dagger by Luke Maye with 0.3 seconds on the clock meant not only another UNC tournament victory, but rather a record 21st appearance in the Final Four. The closest team to the Tar Heels in that respect is none other than, yes, you guessed it. Kentucky with 17 appearances.
The #3 seed Oregon Ducks are happy to represent the Midwest division and will be making their second ever Final Four appearance, and first in the modern era. The Ducks made their lone appearance in the Final Four way back in 1939, which also happens to be the same year they won the National Title.
This game will be highlighted by a top notch matchup of future NBA all-stars as Justin Jackson of UNC will square off against Dillon Brooks of Oregon. Both Jackson (18.2 ppg) and Brooks (16.3 ppg) lead their teams in scoring not only in the regular season, but this tournament as well. UNC’s Justin Jackson is quickly developing the moniker as a big game player and that certainly proved to be true on Sunday as well. Jackson finished with a game high 19 points while often drawing the double team from a very stingy Kentucky Wildcat defense.
Dillon Brooks on the other hand had himself a quality game on Saturday as he finished up with 17 points on 7-of-18 from the field in the team’s impressive 14-point win over a great Kansas team.
The Bet365 betting line opened up with an even five point spread for the favored Tar Heels however in the grand scheme of things, five points isn’t insurmountable, and hardly the David vs Goliath matchup that some analysts are prognosticating.