No. 1 Gonzaga (37-1) vs. No. 1 North Carolina (32-7), 9:20 p.m. CBS
The long college basketball season ends up with an intriguing finale in early April: one of college basketball's traditional underdogs against a traditional power. North Carolina is making its 20th Final Four appearance and 10th title game. It has five championships: 1957, 1982, 1993, 2005, 2009.
Gonzaga has just made its first Final Four appearance and thus, its first title game berth. But, as I discussed before, the Bulldogs really haven't been an underdog for awhile. It just took them awhile to break through to the final couple games of the tournament after making it into the bracket for a 19th consecutive season (I said 18 in the Final Four preview; it is 18 for coach Mark Few but 19 for the program).
Saturday, the Tar Heels got behind early but then went ahead of Oregon before holding off the Ducks 77-76 down the stretch with two rebounds on missed free throws, denying Oregon a chance at a game-winning shot attempt. Kennedy Meeks scored 25 points, making 11 of 13 field goals, and grabbed 14 rebounds. Justin Jackson added 22 points, and Joel Berry II had 11.
Gonzaga built a double-digit lead on South Carolina, but like Northwestern against the Bulldogs a couple of games ago, the Gamecocks fought back but just could not quite pull off the upset, falling 77-73. Gonzaga was led by 23 points from Nigel Williams-Goss, 14 from Zach Collins (with 13 rebounds) off the bench, 13 from Przemek Karnowski, and 12 from Jordan Mathews.
Like Karnowski, Collins is a 7-footer that Gonzaga can roll out to combat UNC's big starting frontcourt
of Meeks and Isaiah Hicks. UNC is first in the country in rebound margin and has slayed teams on the boards all season, but Gonzaga is seventh in rebounding margin and has the capability to battle neck-and-neck with the Tar Heels on the glass. Oregon came out even on rebounds against the Heels, 43-43, though UNC did win the offensive rebound margin, 17-12.
Gonzaga can shoot from beyond the arc better than UNC, and it will need to hit some shots to pull off the upset. The Bulldogs hit 9 of 19 vs. the Gamecocks with Williams-Goss making 2 of 5 and Matthews sinking 4 of 8. UNC made 8 of 21 against the Ducks and shot just 36.8 percent from the field overall (Gonzaga was a slightly above 48 percent). Jackson made 4 of 8 from behind the arc and Berry made 2 of 8.
I respect Gonzaga's program. It is legitimate and has commanded attention this year. Night in and night out, though, UNC had the tougher schedule. It has been in tight games more frequently, and I think those moments can serve it well in this contest. I think the Heels will be sharper on offense than they were Saturday and Gonzaga, unless it gets into the double digits in 3s, will fall a little behind early but eventually claw back. It'll be an exciting game that comes down to a few rebounds or free throws here and there. UNC is seeking redemption after what happened against Villanova last year, and I think the Tar Heels will find it.
The tournament picked up with several good games after a lackluster first couple of rounds. There have been lots of close games down the stretch. I think this one will be close as well. UNC is a small 1.5-point favorite, and I that's what my pick is as well.
Gut feeling: UNC by 1-5 points.
The long college basketball season ends up with an intriguing finale in early April: one of college basketball's traditional underdogs against a traditional power. North Carolina is making its 20th Final Four appearance and 10th title game. It has five championships: 1957, 1982, 1993, 2005, 2009.
Gonzaga has just made its first Final Four appearance and thus, its first title game berth. But, as I discussed before, the Bulldogs really haven't been an underdog for awhile. It just took them awhile to break through to the final couple games of the tournament after making it into the bracket for a 19th consecutive season (I said 18 in the Final Four preview; it is 18 for coach Mark Few but 19 for the program).
Saturday, the Tar Heels got behind early but then went ahead of Oregon before holding off the Ducks 77-76 down the stretch with two rebounds on missed free throws, denying Oregon a chance at a game-winning shot attempt. Kennedy Meeks scored 25 points, making 11 of 13 field goals, and grabbed 14 rebounds. Justin Jackson added 22 points, and Joel Berry II had 11.
Gonzaga built a double-digit lead on South Carolina, but like Northwestern against the Bulldogs a couple of games ago, the Gamecocks fought back but just could not quite pull off the upset, falling 77-73. Gonzaga was led by 23 points from Nigel Williams-Goss, 14 from Zach Collins (with 13 rebounds) off the bench, 13 from Przemek Karnowski, and 12 from Jordan Mathews.
Like Karnowski, Collins is a 7-footer that Gonzaga can roll out to combat UNC's big starting frontcourt
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| UNC's Justin Jackson and Gonzaga's Nigel Williams-Goss bring exciting offensive games into tonight's championship contest. |
Gonzaga can shoot from beyond the arc better than UNC, and it will need to hit some shots to pull off the upset. The Bulldogs hit 9 of 19 vs. the Gamecocks with Williams-Goss making 2 of 5 and Matthews sinking 4 of 8. UNC made 8 of 21 against the Ducks and shot just 36.8 percent from the field overall (Gonzaga was a slightly above 48 percent). Jackson made 4 of 8 from behind the arc and Berry made 2 of 8.
I respect Gonzaga's program. It is legitimate and has commanded attention this year. Night in and night out, though, UNC had the tougher schedule. It has been in tight games more frequently, and I think those moments can serve it well in this contest. I think the Heels will be sharper on offense than they were Saturday and Gonzaga, unless it gets into the double digits in 3s, will fall a little behind early but eventually claw back. It'll be an exciting game that comes down to a few rebounds or free throws here and there. UNC is seeking redemption after what happened against Villanova last year, and I think the Tar Heels will find it.
The tournament picked up with several good games after a lackluster first couple of rounds. There have been lots of close games down the stretch. I think this one will be close as well. UNC is a small 1.5-point favorite, and I that's what my pick is as well.
Gut feeling: UNC by 1-5 points.
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