No. 7 South Carolina (26-10) vs. No. 1 Gonzaga (36-1), 6:09 p.m. CBS
No. 3 Oregon (33-5) vs. No. 1 North Carolina (31-7), 8:49 p.m.
One traditional power, one plucky-underdog-turned-powerhouse, and two teams on unlikely runs descend on the desert for this season's Final Four. This is North Carolina's 20th Final Four, Oregon's second (the first came in 1939, the first time the event was held; the Ducks also won the title), and South Carolina and Gonzaga have never been. So, speaking historically, this is a mismatch among programs.
The Gamecocks lost six of their final nine contests heading into the NCAA tournament, including their first in the SEC tournament against Alabama. But led by star guard Sindarius Thornwell, they've knocked off Marquette, Duke, Baylor, and Florida. Thornwell is averaging 25.8 points. South Carolina's second-leading scorer is PJ Dozier at 13 points per game. Thornwell shoots 39.4 percent from 3, but the Gamecocks are at just 33.7 percent for the year. Duane Notice averages 10.2 points and shoots 34 percent from 3. The Gamecocks hang their hats on defense, giving up just 64.9 points per game while being one of the most efficient teams on that end of the court in the country. South Carolina is coached by the fiery Frank Martin, he of the infamous icy stare. He previously coached Kansas State from 2007-12 and took it to the Elite Eight in 2010. This is his fifth season at South Carolina and the team has gotten a little better each year.
The Bulldogs, led by coach Mark Few, have gone to the NCAA tournament 18 consecutive years. Now, they've finally broken through to the Final Four after years of being media darlings as underdogs. Recently, though, opposing fans and some media have given them the label of being overrated since they have typically stormed through the regular season only to fall short of advancing very far in the tournament. Even this year, some analysts thought they were a No. 2 seed instead of a 1 despite just one loss. Gonzaga beat Arizona, Florida, and Iowa State in the non-conference schedule to pick up some nice victories. The Bulldogs crushed the competition in the West Coast Conference except for a lone loss to BYU. But the Bulldogs have proven themselves as a top team in the tournament, beating South Dakota State, Northwestern, West Virginia, and Xavier, avoiding a rematch against No. 2 seed Arizona in the Elite Eight when the Musketeers upset the Wildcats in the previous round. Despite getting to the Final Four for the first time, there have been a couple of shaky performances against West Virginia, a three-point win, and against Northwestern, which overcame a deficit of more than 20 points to make it a very tight game late. Gonzaga is led offensively by guard Nigel Williams-Goss, who scores 16.7 points per game and shoots 36.7 percent from 3. Johnathan Williams, Zach Collins, and Josh Perkins all shoot between 40 and 45 percent from 3. Przemek Karnowski, a 7-foot-1, 300-pound center, mans the middle recording 12.2 points and 5.8 rebounds per game.
Pick: The Cinderella story of South Carolina is nice and it is my favorite team left, but Gonzaga is the more complete team I believe and has proven itself a worthy title contender all year.
Despite being a 3 seed, the Ducks kind of came out of nowhere like South Carolina because they lost one of their best players, Chris Boucher (11.8 points, 6.1 rebounds), to an injury right before the tournament. They nearly knocked off Arizona in the Pac-12 title game, though, and have since defeated Iona, Rhode Island, Michigan, and Kansas in the NCAAs. The games against the Rams and Wolverines were nail-biters, but surprisingly, the Ducks played their best against the Jayhawks and sent the No. 1 seed packing in a 16-point victory. Oregon, led by coach Dana Altman in his seventh season, got the Ducks to the Elite Eight last year before bowing out against Oklahoma. The Ducks are led by Dillon Brooks, who averages 16.3 points, and Tyler Dorsey, who averages 14.5 points. They are both above 40 percent on the year for 3-pointers and the Ducks are at 38.3 percent as a team. Dorsey has made 17 of his 26 shots from beyond the arc in the tournament.
The Tar Heels are back in the Final Four for a second consecutive season after Villanova beat them on a buzzer-beater in the championship in 2016. After losing to Duke in the ACC tournament semifinals, UNC has beaten Texas Southern, Arkansas, Butler, and Kentucky in the NCAA tournament, with the last win coming spectacularly when Luke Maye, a former walk-on for the Heels, hit the game-winning shot with 0.3 seconds left. Maye finished with 17 points after recording a double-double, 16 points and 12 rebounds, in the victory over Butler. Coach Roy Williams said after the game, "I'm the one who wanted him as a walk-on, so how dumb am I?" Justin Jackson, Joel Berry II, Kennedy Meeks, and Isaiah Hicks lead the offense, all scoring in double figures. Jackson and Berry shoot 38 and 39.2 percent from 3, respectively, and the Heels are at 36.1 percent as a team. They outrebound teams by an astounding 13 boards per game, the highest margin since 2001 when Michigan State made the Final Four with a similar number. UNC is playing great basketball and appears poised to take the title after just letting it slip away last year.
Pick: North Carolina has represented the ACC well after the conference flopped in the NCAA tournament, despite looking so strong all season. Oregon is playing well, but UNC might be the best team in the country when focused.
No. 3 Oregon (33-5) vs. No. 1 North Carolina (31-7), 8:49 p.m.
One traditional power, one plucky-underdog-turned-powerhouse, and two teams on unlikely runs descend on the desert for this season's Final Four. This is North Carolina's 20th Final Four, Oregon's second (the first came in 1939, the first time the event was held; the Ducks also won the title), and South Carolina and Gonzaga have never been. So, speaking historically, this is a mismatch among programs.
The Gamecocks lost six of their final nine contests heading into the NCAA tournament, including their first in the SEC tournament against Alabama. But led by star guard Sindarius Thornwell, they've knocked off Marquette, Duke, Baylor, and Florida. Thornwell is averaging 25.8 points. South Carolina's second-leading scorer is PJ Dozier at 13 points per game. Thornwell shoots 39.4 percent from 3, but the Gamecocks are at just 33.7 percent for the year. Duane Notice averages 10.2 points and shoots 34 percent from 3. The Gamecocks hang their hats on defense, giving up just 64.9 points per game while being one of the most efficient teams on that end of the court in the country. South Carolina is coached by the fiery Frank Martin, he of the infamous icy stare. He previously coached Kansas State from 2007-12 and took it to the Elite Eight in 2010. This is his fifth season at South Carolina and the team has gotten a little better each year.
The Bulldogs, led by coach Mark Few, have gone to the NCAA tournament 18 consecutive years. Now, they've finally broken through to the Final Four after years of being media darlings as underdogs. Recently, though, opposing fans and some media have given them the label of being overrated since they have typically stormed through the regular season only to fall short of advancing very far in the tournament. Even this year, some analysts thought they were a No. 2 seed instead of a 1 despite just one loss. Gonzaga beat Arizona, Florida, and Iowa State in the non-conference schedule to pick up some nice victories. The Bulldogs crushed the competition in the West Coast Conference except for a lone loss to BYU. But the Bulldogs have proven themselves as a top team in the tournament, beating South Dakota State, Northwestern, West Virginia, and Xavier, avoiding a rematch against No. 2 seed Arizona in the Elite Eight when the Musketeers upset the Wildcats in the previous round. Despite getting to the Final Four for the first time, there have been a couple of shaky performances against West Virginia, a three-point win, and against Northwestern, which overcame a deficit of more than 20 points to make it a very tight game late. Gonzaga is led offensively by guard Nigel Williams-Goss, who scores 16.7 points per game and shoots 36.7 percent from 3. Johnathan Williams, Zach Collins, and Josh Perkins all shoot between 40 and 45 percent from 3. Przemek Karnowski, a 7-foot-1, 300-pound center, mans the middle recording 12.2 points and 5.8 rebounds per game.
Pick: The Cinderella story of South Carolina is nice and it is my favorite team left, but Gonzaga is the more complete team I believe and has proven itself a worthy title contender all year.
Despite being a 3 seed, the Ducks kind of came out of nowhere like South Carolina because they lost one of their best players, Chris Boucher (11.8 points, 6.1 rebounds), to an injury right before the tournament. They nearly knocked off Arizona in the Pac-12 title game, though, and have since defeated Iona, Rhode Island, Michigan, and Kansas in the NCAAs. The games against the Rams and Wolverines were nail-biters, but surprisingly, the Ducks played their best against the Jayhawks and sent the No. 1 seed packing in a 16-point victory. Oregon, led by coach Dana Altman in his seventh season, got the Ducks to the Elite Eight last year before bowing out against Oklahoma. The Ducks are led by Dillon Brooks, who averages 16.3 points, and Tyler Dorsey, who averages 14.5 points. They are both above 40 percent on the year for 3-pointers and the Ducks are at 38.3 percent as a team. Dorsey has made 17 of his 26 shots from beyond the arc in the tournament.
The Tar Heels are back in the Final Four for a second consecutive season after Villanova beat them on a buzzer-beater in the championship in 2016. After losing to Duke in the ACC tournament semifinals, UNC has beaten Texas Southern, Arkansas, Butler, and Kentucky in the NCAA tournament, with the last win coming spectacularly when Luke Maye, a former walk-on for the Heels, hit the game-winning shot with 0.3 seconds left. Maye finished with 17 points after recording a double-double, 16 points and 12 rebounds, in the victory over Butler. Coach Roy Williams said after the game, "I'm the one who wanted him as a walk-on, so how dumb am I?" Justin Jackson, Joel Berry II, Kennedy Meeks, and Isaiah Hicks lead the offense, all scoring in double figures. Jackson and Berry shoot 38 and 39.2 percent from 3, respectively, and the Heels are at 36.1 percent as a team. They outrebound teams by an astounding 13 boards per game, the highest margin since 2001 when Michigan State made the Final Four with a similar number. UNC is playing great basketball and appears poised to take the title after just letting it slip away last year.
Pick: North Carolina has represented the ACC well after the conference flopped in the NCAA tournament, despite looking so strong all season. Oregon is playing well, but UNC might be the best team in the country when focused.
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