THE FINAL FOUR
At University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Ariz.
NO. 1 GONZAGA VS. NO. 7 SOUTH CAROLINA Saturday, 6:09 p.m. ET, CBS How they got here: Gonzaga beat No. 16 South Dakota State 66-46, No. 8 Northwestern 79-73, No. 4 West Virginia 61-58 and No. 11 Xavier 83-59. South Carolina beat No. 10 Marquette 93-73, No. 2 Duke 88-81, No. 3 Baylor 70-50 and No. 4 Florida 77-70. About the Bulldogs (36-1, 17-1 West Coast Conference): This is the first Final Four in school history for Gonzaga, and it is no coincidence that this is the best defensive team Mark Few has coached in Spokane. The Bulldogs have tremendous size at the frontcourt positions — including senior Przemek Karnowski and freshman Zach Collins — to stifle opposing offenses, along with enough of a diverse range of scoring firepower up and down the lineup to overwhelm most opponents. First-team All-America junior point guard Nigel WilliamsGoss leads the team in scoring at 16.7 points per game. About the Gamecocks (2610, 12-6 Southeast Conference): South Carolina is looking to emulate Connecticut’s magical run in 2014 to become the second No. 7 seed to take home a national title. The Gamecocks are one of the most tenacious defensive teams in the country, using their size and athleticism to smother opposing scorers all over the floor. SEC Player of the Year Sindarius Thornwell’s performance will be critical. He’s been on a mission in March, averaging 25.8 points per game in the NCAA tournament, and is one of the few creators on offense for South Carolina.
The pick: Gonzaga
NO. 1 NORTH CAROLINA VS. NO. 3 OREGON Saturday, 8:49 p.m. ET, CBS
How they got here: North Carolina beat No. 16 Texas Southern 103-64, No. 8 Arkansas 72-65, No. 4 Butler 92-80 and No. 2 Kentucky 75-73. Oregon beat No. 14 Iona 93-77, No. 11 Rhode Island 75-72, No. 7 Michigan 69-68 and No. 1 Kansas 74-60.
About the Tar Heels (31-7, 14-4 Atlantic Coast Conference): North Carolina needed late-game heroics from Luke Maye to make it to Arizona, but last year’s NCAA runner-up has been one of the top teams in the country all season. Junior Justin Jackson has revolutionized his game by adding a threepoint shot, junior Joel Berry II has been a steady hand at point guard and seniors Kennedy Meeks and Isaiah Hicks make up one of the longest and toughest frontcourts in college basketball. The key for North Carolina might be the health of Berry, who is recovering from his second ankle injury of the tournament. About the Ducks (33-5, 16-2 Pac-12): Oregon had the most impressive win of the Elite Eight, knocking off No. 1 seed Kansas in Kansas City, Mo. The Ducks are playing their best basketball of the season behind the shotmaking of sophomore guard Tyler Dorsey and the defensive prowess of junior center Jordan Bell. Dorsey is averaging 24.5 points per game in the tournament and shooting 65.4% from three-point range. Bell has anchored the team’s defense by averaging 6.5 defensive rebounds and 2.8 blocks per game in the Ducks’ four tournament wins. The pick: Oregon Chris Stone, rushthecourt.net