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NCAA Final Four Predictions


This Saturday is the beginning of the end to the college basketball season. In November we started with 347 teams, then in March it was narrowed down to 68, and now we are at the Final Four. North Carolina is making its 20th appearance in the Final Four which is the most all-time. The other three teams are in completely different situations. Both Gonzaga and South Carolina are making their school's first ever Final Four appearance, and Oregon is in their 2nd Final Four. The last time Oregon made the Final Four was in 1939 when they won the National Championship, which was the first ever NCAA Tournament. Will North Carolina win their 6th National Championship and 3rd under Roy Williams? Will Oregon win their first championship in 78 years? Will Gonzaga win their first National Championship after making the NCAA Tournament consecutively for the past 19 seasons? Will South Carolina continue their Cinderella story as a 7-seed and win their first ever NCAA Championship?

(1) North Carolina vs. (3) Oregon Stoney: The Tar Heels of North Carolina are back for their 20th Final Four appearance. They are viewed as the veterans of this Final Four. On Saturday night, they get an Oregon team who just made easy work as an underdog against a very good (maybe overrated) Kansas team. In the Elite 8, viewers got Malik Monk vs. Justin Jackson and now we are rewarded with Dillon Brooks vs. Justin Jackson. The greedy NCAA should make this matchup a pay-per-view. This game was supposed to happen in the preseason Maui Invitational before Oregon got tripped up by Georgetown in the opening round. Since that loss, Oregon has gone 31-3 and have been a force in the tournament with their athleticism and matchup zone. North Carolina has been one of the best teams in the country all season and this will be a game on who can impose their will. If North Carolina can work the ball inside and get Jordan Bell in foul trouble with their rotation of bigs, this game should go their way. If Oregon can make shots and force North Carolina to go small to keep them off the offensive glass, this game should go their way. North Carolina has been down and out twice in this tournament against Kentucky and Arkansas. I will no longer doubt this redemption tour that they are on. Stoney's Prediction: North Carolina 84-72.

Brandon: Luke Maye should never have to buy anything in Chapel Hill for the rest of his life after that clutch shot to send North Carolina to the Final Four. Tyler Dorsey and Jordan Bell of Oregon not only owned Kansas but also owned the post-game interview to send Oregon back to the Final Four for the first time in 78 years. This matchup all comes down to small-ball vs big-ball. Oregon has a thin front court and runs a small-ball four vs one of the best frontcourts in the country for North Carolina. The game is going to come down to which teams' mismatch will make the other team change strategy first. North Carolina has struggled with perimeter fours this year, as the most notable was Jayson Tatum. Dillon Brooks is going to be the key factor in this game for Oregon. Isaiah Hicks being matched with him on the offensive end, will allow him to work out of the isolation a lot. Brooks will be able to shoot over a sagging Hicks or his driving ability will open up the drive and kick. Oregon will continue the “nobody believes in us” theory right into Monday night’s Championship game.

Brandon's Prediction: Oregon 72-68

Rickey: Last year was the year the Oregon Ducks were supposed to make their first Final Four appearance since the inaugural NCAA Tournament in 1939, but Oklahoma's Buddy Heild had different plans when they beat Oregon handily in the Elite 8. Ever since, Dana Altman and company have been on a mission, to reach the Final Four. Now that they completed that mission they are on to their final mission, win the National Championship. But standing in their way are the 5x National Champions North Carolina Tar Heels led by head coach Roy Williams. North Carolina has been one of the best teams all year, and after winning the ACC Regular Season and earning a #1 seed in the tournament, they find themselves back in the Final Four for consecutive seasons, and they have some unfinished business to take care of after last season's heartbreaking buzzer beater loss in the National Championship to Villanova. North Carolina's Joel Berry has been hobbled all tournament. After injuring his right ankle in the first round he then sprained his left ankle last weekend in the Elite 8 against Kentucky. Berry is North Carolina's heart and soul. Without him on the court the team just doesn't run the way it is supposed too. Equally as important to Oregon, is Jordan Bell. After the devastating injury to Chris Boucher, Bell has stepped up and owned every opponent they have met on their way to the Final Four. Unfortunately for North Carolina, they are going to leave the Final Four in back-to-back seasons without any hardware. Jordan Bell will continue his dominance and Oregon will be looking to win their first NCAA Championship in 78 years.

Rickey's Prediction: Oregon 78-74

(1) Gonzaga vs. (7) South Carolina

Stoney: I really have nothing on this game. Defense on defense. South Carolina has been the Cinderella of the tournament but I think their run ends here. Gonzaga has been a top team in the country all season and they will be able to impose their will with their balanced offense.

Stoney's Prediction: Gonzaga 69 - 60

Brandon: Gonzaga has been the trendy underdog in previous tournaments but have held serve as top dog in this tournament. South Carolina is the Cinderella story this year and has played tough defense to grind their way to the Final Four. This game features the top two ranked teams in KenPom’s adjusted defensive efficiency rankings, so offense will need to be at a premium. Critics have doubted Gonzaga's level of competition all year but they have proven themselves against competition in this tournament. Sindarius Thornwell has played like one of the top players in the tournament on both sides of the ball and South Carolina will continue to go as far as he will take them. Nigel Williams-Goss and Jordan Matthews have given the Zags an athletic look that previous teams of previous years have not had. Przemek Karnowski will be a force down low and give Gonzaga another scoring option against this stingy Gamecocks defense. South Carolina will not be able to keep up their scoring efficiency numbers they have had in the tourney and will revert back to their regular season form. Gonzaga has already seen a pressing team in West Virginia earlier in the tourney, so the South Carolina pressing style should not come as a surprise. I trust Gonzaga’s offensive players to score enough to win this game comfortably. Darius Rucker will have tears of sadness this time around.

Brandon's Prediction: Gonzaga 70–57

Rickey: Gonzaga was always the Cinderella that everyone picked to go to the Final Four in previous brackets of previous year, but now standing in the way of Gonzaga getting to the National Championship is this years Cinderella team, oh the irony. For 19 years Gonzaga made it to the big dance but could never get to the Final Four. Pictures of Adam Morrison crying in the middle of the court when they lost to UCLA must have been the motivating image of the year for this Gonzaga team because they did what the previous teams couldn't, and they aren't done yet. This is probably one of the best, if not the best, teams Mark Few has put together. Przemek Karnowski is a reliable inside the paint player, and Nigel Williams-Goss, Johnathan Williams, and Jordan Matthews could be stars on any team in the nation. What makes Gonzaga so good is they play team basketball. They have four players averaging 10 point per game or more. All tournament South Carolina's recipe to success has been taking away the opposing team's strength, but how do you stop four players from potentially scoring? South Carolina was always a good defensive team, they just never had the offense to back it up, except for the past 3 weeks. Sindarius Thornwell has made himself a household name this March and has led this South Carolina team to their first ever Final Four. Unfortunately, Thornwell can only carry this team so far and against one of the most well rounded teams in the nation the clock will strike midnight on their Cinderella story.

Rickey's Prediction: Gonzaga 75-62

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