INSIDE THE MATCHUPS
GLENDALE, Ariz. — It’s championship Monday night, with enough storylines to satisfy the insatiable. One-loss Gonzaga looking to become the first program from a mid-major conference to win it all since UNLV in 1990. Blue-blood North Carolina looking for redemption following last April’s buzzerbeating loss in the title game. Two mammoth front lines, and a wealth of perimeter weapons.
The Post’s Zach Braziller takes a look at how the two No. 1 seeds match up:
POINT GUARD
If Joel Berry II was healthy, this would be a dead heat, but the North Carolina lead guard is hobbled, his explosiveness and jump shot diminished by two ankle injuries. Nigel
Williams-Goss, meanwhile, controlled Gonzaga’s national semifinal win over South Carolina and has been one of the best players in the tournament.
SHOOTING GUARD
Theo Pinson’s value shouldn’t be overlooked. North Carolina isn’t still playing without him. The junior jump-started the game-turning 12-0 run against Kentucky in the South Region final, and his defense has keyed the last two victories, containing De’Aaron Fox of Kentucky and Oregon highscoring duo Dillon Brooks and Tyler Dorsey.
Josh Perkins went MIA on Saturday, scoreless in 22 minutes, but the Gonzaga sophomore is a capable ball-moving marksman.
SMALL FORWARD
Jordan Mathews was Gonzaga’s unsung hero Saturday night, hitting four 3-point shots, and the clutch California transfer has reached double-figures in each tournament game. So has North Carolina’s Justin Jackson, who will be the premier scorer on the floor. The 6-foot-8 Texan is shooting 41 percent from 3-point land in the tournament. Edge:
POWER FORWARD
Isaiah Hicks, North Carolina’s 6-foot-9 enigma, couldn’t finish against Oregon’s undersized front line Saturday night — he shot a dreadful 1-for-12 — and now he has to match up with Gonzaga’s Johnathan Williams, one of the most versatile defenders in the country.
CENTER
This matchup could very well decide the national champion. Coming off a monster 25-point, 14-rebound performance, North Carolina senior Kennedy Meeks will face
Przemek Karnowski, Gonzaga’s consistent 7-1, 300-pound Pole. It’s the rare showdown in which the 6-10 Meeks won’t have the edge in size, but he does have a quickness advantage.
BENCH
Luke Maye sent North Carolina to the Final Four with his game-winning jumper with 0.3 seconds left against Kentucky in the South Region final. Tony
Bradley and Nate Britt provide depth, and can deliver if given opportunities. But Gonzaga has the best bench player in 7-foot freshman Zach Collins — he pounded South Carolina to the tune of 14 points, 13 rebounds and six blocked shots — and Silas Melson is a potent threat from beyond the arc.
COACH
Roy Williams has the edge in experience — this will be his sixth championship game — but Mark Few is the superior tactician. The Gonzaga coach’s decision to foul up three Saturday night was gutsy and smart, the move Williams was unwilling to make against Kentucky in the South Region final, and it nearly cost North Carolina a Final Four berth.
PREDICTION
Vegas will be wrong. North Carolina shouldn’t be the favorite, not with Berry hobbled, and Gonzaga able to neutralize the Tar Heels greatest strength, their offensive rebounding. The Zags win the battle of the boards — Meeks doesn’t get enough help from Hicks and Co. — and Williams-Goss is the Final Four Most Outstanding Player after torching the Carolina guards down the stretch. There will be no redemption for the Tar Heels, who will join Butler, Michigan, Houston and Ohio State as the only teams to lose consecutive championship games. Gonzaga 84, North Carolina 80