Madness

Madness

On Saturday, April 1, the Final Four in Phoenix, Arizona will begin, and madness will surely ensue.

In the first match up of the day, the one-seed Gonzaga Bulldogs will go head-to-head with the seven-seed South Carolina Gamecocks. The second and final game of the Final Four will feature the one-seed North Carolina Tar Heels and the three-seed Oregon Ducks.

For the Bulldogs of Gonzaga, this tournament has been about overcoming demons of the past, as well as their fair-share of doubters now. Despite being at the top of their conference for years on end, and being a very high seed in the tournament year after year, Gonzaga had never managed to make a Final Four appearance. This led to them being the butt of many jokes, but this season was different. Led by one of the best players in the nation, Nigel Williams-Goss, this team has made it over the hump.

The other team competing in that game is the Gamecocks of South Carolina, who are this year’s Cinderella story. They may not have quite the talent and prestige of the other teams still competing for a title, but there are two things they have in spades: confidence and momentum. That is not to say they do not have some very good players, however. Sindarius Thornwell is one of the best pure scorers in the country, averaging 21.2 points per game, as well as being a great rebounding guard, averaging 7.2 rebounds a contest. Led by Thornwell, this Cinderella does not want the run to end here, and they look poised for a run at the championship.

On the other side of the bracket is the current odds-on favorite to cut down the nets in Phoenix, the Tar Heels of North Carolina. This team has everything you could want as a coach or fan. They have experience, returning 10 (!) players from their runner up team of last year, so they have been here before. They have great perimeter play with two studs spearheading the attack from outside in guard Joel Berry and forward Justin Jackson. They have a dominant front court, which is shown through their leading of the country in offensive rebounds per contest by nearly a full rebound. It truly looks as if every team plays their absolute best, North Carolina will be the one holding the trophy Monday night.

Last, but certainly not least, is the Ducks of Oregon, who will be taking on the Tar Heels on Saturday. Despite losing Chris Boucher, who is one of the nation’s best shot blockers, to an ACL tear a week before the tournament, they have made their first Final Four since 1939. Even without Boucher, Oregon still has a great trio of players in Pac-12 player of the year Dillon Brooks, breakout tournament star Jordan Bell, and “Mr. March” Tyler Dorsey. Bell won the Most Outstanding Player of the Midwest region after single-handedly taking over the game against one-seed Kansas. Dorsey is averaging 24.5 points per game and shooting 65.4 percent from three-point land. Against all odds, this Oregon team still has a real chance at the title.

At the end of the day, any one of the four teams is capable of cutting down the nets on Monday, and any team could go home Saturday. It will be madness.