Storyline: I don’t have anything against North Carolina. It’s just that I’m tired of seeing this team in the Final Four, again and again.
The South Regional Final between Kentucky and North Carolina was one of the most captivating games of this year’s NCAA tournament. It was clear that a winner wouldn’t emerge until the final final horn sounded. And that’s exactly what happened.
Luke May hits winning shot against UK (photo, The Sporting News)
Down 71-64 with 54 seconds remaining, the Wildcats went on a 9-2 run to tie the game at 73 on a Malik Monk three-pointer with 10 seconds left. Then Theo Pinson calmly drove the ball down the floor and found Luke Maye wide open on the left wing. Maye came through in the clutch. His jumper found the bottom of the net. Tar Heels won, 75-73.
What. A. Ballgame!
With the victory UNC punched its ticket … again. It’s Carolina’s 20th Final Four in school history. The Tar Heels have a chance to capture national title number six.
Success aside, it’s also why the theme of this column is “Anybody But North Carolina!”
Yeah, North Carolina has history on its side, but the other three teams possess the tools–albeit different tools–to knock off the mighty Tar Heels.
South Carolina Gamecocks Have Defense
The Gamecocks hadn’t won an NCAA tournament game since Richard Nixon was president (1973). But this year USC beat Marquette, Duke, and Baylor to reach the Elite Eight. Then, on Sunday afternoon, Coach Frank Martin and the Gamecocks knocked off fellow SEC member, Florida, at Madison Square Garden to reach its first Final Four in school history.
USC’s Sindarius Thornwell (photo, The Bleacher Report)
The thing that has been crucial to the Gamecocks’ success is DEFENSE. One can even argue that South Carolina is the best defensive team in the nation. USC forces an average of 17 turnovers per game. There are no “good” shot selections against this team; there are “okay” shot selections at best. Opponents make, on average, just 39.8% of shots.
The Gamecocks have SEC Player of the Year, Sindarius Thornwell, who provides a major boost when South Carolina is struggling offensively. But Martin and the Gamecocks won’t win in Phoenix if they rely too heavily on Thornwell. The Gamecocks need to turn defense into offense. That happens when USC pressures opponents, creates turnovers, and gets easy transition buckets.
Gonzaga Bulldogs Are Good At The Fundamentals
The Bulldogs did it! After knocking on the door so many times over the past two decades, Coach Mark Few and the Zags finally kicked it down with an 81-58 thumping of Xavier in the Elite Eight.
Courtesy: HoopVideos.NET
Still, though, an onerous cloud of doubt follows GU. The Bulldogs are criticized for playing in a conference without serious competitors (outside of Saint Mary’s). This year, at least, the Bulldogs countered doubt by getting signature victories over Northwestern, West Virginia, and Xavier. Now they’re in their first-ever Final Four.
How did they do it? The Bulldogs play fundamentally sound basketball. How so?
Gonzaga doesn’t give up wide open looks: opponents shoot a rocky 36.5%. On offense, GU lights it up: they score an average of 83.2 points per game. The Zags play excellent team ball: they record 15.4 assists per game. Want more? Four players average double figures a game. Add it all up and you have a team that doesn’t beat itself.
Let’s face it: a fundamentally sound team brought home the bacon last year. If Villanova can do it, why not the Zags this year?
Oregon Ducks Has Perimeter Shooting
Oregon won the very first NCAA championship–way back in 1939–with a 46-33 win over Ohio State. The Ducks haven’t been back to the Final Four since then … that is, until now.
The Ducks’ Dillon Brooks (photo, Scott Olmos-USA TODAY Sports and CSN Northwest)
But perhaps the bigger news is that the Ducks did it without 6-10 big man and playmaking senior, Chris Boucher, who was lost to a season-ending knee injury in the PAC-12 tournament.
How might UO beat UNC? Oregon shoots the ball extremely well: 48%, overall, and 38% from long range. The Ducks need sharpshooters Dillon Brooks and Tyler Dorsey to be accurate. Without Boucher, the game plan is winning from the outside.
If the Ducks can knock down threes like they did against Kansas (11-of-25 for 44%) and can also keep North Carolina off the boards, that may be enough to beat Roy Williams and the Tar Heels.
Perhaps UO will have geography on its side. Not since 1995 has the Final Four been held in a location that’s this far West. UCLA won it that year. Will PAC-12 history repeat itself? Time will tell.
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I don’t have anything against North Carolina. It’s just that I’m tired of seeing this team in the Final Four, again and again.
Dynasties aren’t the reason we love March Madness. We love it because of underdog stories. And three underdogs are in the Final Four this year. Consider the teams’ pre-season odds to win the NCAA championship: Oregon was 20-to-1; Gonzaga was 80-to-1; and South Carolina was 200-to-1. UNC was a 15-1 bet.
So if long-shot South Carolina, Gonzaga, or Oregon wins the national title, that win will go down as a great underdog story. If UNC wins, it will be yet another feather in the Tar Heels’ hat–a ho-hum outcome.
That’s why I’m rooting for ANYBODY BUT NORTH CAROLINA!
