MORE INSIDE National championship scouting report: Gonzaga vs. North Carolina
azcentral sports’ Doug Haller breaks down Monday night’s final between a pair of top seeds. North Carolina chases its sixth national title, while Gonzaga will seek its first championship.
No. 1 Gonzaga vs. No. 1 North Carolina
Time: 6:19 p.m. Where: University of Phoenix Stadium. TV: Channel 5.
Gonzaga
The road: Beat No. 16-seed South Dakota State 66-46; No. 8 Northwestern 79-73; No. 4 West Virginia 61-58; No. 11 Xavier 83-59; No. 7 South Carolina 77-73. Coach: Mark Few, 18th season (503-112, .818) Projected starters: G Nigel Williams-Goss, 6-3, Jr., 16.9 ppg, 4.7 apg; G Josh Perkins, 6-3, Soph., 8 ppg; G Jordan Mathews, 6-4, Sr., 10.8 ppg; F Johnathan Williams, 6-7, Jr., 10.2 ppg, 6.5 rpg; C Przemek Karnowski, 7-1, Sr., 12.3 ppg, 5.8 rpg. Star power: Williams-Goss won’t be the quickest guard on the court, but he somehow gets to where he wants to go. He shoots 53.7 percent from 2-point range. In the tournament, Williams-Goss averages 17 points, seven rebounds and four assists. North Carolina might have to use 6-foot-6 forward Theo Pinson to slow him. X-Factor: Zach Collins might be the best NBA prospect here, and the 7-foot freshman showed as much with 14 points, 13 rebounds and six blocked shots in Gonzaga’s national semifinal win over South Carolina. Collins will have his hands full with North Carolina’s deep frontline, but he has proved that he’s more than capable of holding his own on both ends. Key number: 1 – Gonzaga is the highest-rated defensive team in the country. The Bulldogs hold opponents to 39.8 percent shooting from 2-point range (best in the country) and 29.5 percent from 3-point range (fourth best). To date, no one has shot better than 46.9 percent against them. In the NCAA Tournament, Gonzaga has held opponents to 34.6 percent shooting. Gonzaga wins if: “When you play Carolina, you got to do a couple things: You got to defensive rebound and you’ve got to win the transition game. Gonzaga must limit live-ball turnovers, compete on the defensive end and basically take Carolina out of early offense. They must set their defense. I expect Gonzaga to take a page out of (the) Oregon (game plan) and play a little zone. Oregon kind of owned the tempo of the game for a while by being able to play that matchup zone and keeping them off-balance a little bit.” – ESPN analyst Seth Greenberg.
North Carolina
The road: Beat No. 16-seeded Texas Southern 103-64; No. 8 Arkansas 72-65; No. 4 Butler 92-80; No. 2 Kentucky 75-73; No. 3 Oregon 77-76. Coach: Roy Williams, 14th season, (397-115, .775) Projected starters: G Joel Berry II, 6-0, Jr., 14.5 ppg, 3.6 apg; F Justin Jackson, 6-8, Jr., 18.2 ppg, 4.7 rpg; F Theo Pinson, 6-6, Jr., 6.1 ppg, 4.4 rpg; F Isaiah Hicks, 6-9, Sr., 11.8, 5.4 rpg; C Kennedy Meeks, 6-10, Sr., 12.7, 9.4 rpg. Star power: Jackson is a first-team All-American and the Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year. Of all the NBA draft prospects at the Final Four, he’s the only one Draft Express – a respected website – includes in its 2017 mock first round. At 6-8, Jackson is difficult to handle on the perimeter. He’s averaging 20.2 points in the tournament, shooting 41.6 percent from 3-point range. X-Factor: Berry isn’t 100 percent. He twisted his left ankle in the Tar Heels’ opening win over Texas Southern. He twisted his right in their regional final win over Kentucky. Before the Final Four, Berry listed himself at 85 percent, but he struggled in Saturday’s win over Oregon, shooting 2 of 14 from the field and 5 of 9 from the foul line. He’ll need to be better Monday. Key number: 41.7 – The Tar Heels rebound 41.7 percent of country. In Saturday’s win over Oregon, they grabbed 17 offensive rebounds, including two off free throws in the final seconds that sealed the contest. At times, this is their best offense. Big man Meeks grabs 16.4 percent of North Carolina’s misses when he’s on the court. North Carolina wins if: “They have to defend Karnowski early because if the ball goes into him, he’s such a good passer. They got to put him in ball screens. I think Joel Berry has to lead. He doesn’t have to be overly aggressive in seeking his shot but he has to get others involved. They have to get Justin Jackson going. He’s the toughest matchup for Gonzaga because he’s that hybrid forward that Gonzaga doesn’t seem to have. And then they have to be very aware and alert when Collins comes into the game. With his length, his quickness and his ability to protect the front of the rim, how they deal with Collins coming off the bench will be really important.” – Greenberg.