One of American sport’s greatest spectacles -- the Final Four -- is set for Phoenix (really Glendale, Ariz., but the NCAA is saying Phoenix, so we will, too), at University of Phoenix Stadium on Saturday. You will need to be ready, and that’s our job. So, here we go. Everything you need to know, concluded with our experts’ predictions both straight up and against the spread.
The first thing you need to know is both games are on CBS, so you got that going for you.
Matchups, tournament paths
(1) Gonzaga vs (7) South Carolina, 6:09 p.m. (Live Stream)
Gonzaga’s path
1st round: def. South Dakota State 66-46
2ns round: def. Northwestern 79-73
Sweet 16: def. West Virginia 61-58
Elite Eight: def. Xavier 83-59
South Carolina’s path
1st round: def. Marquette 88-81
2nd round: def. Duke 88-81
Sweet 16: def. Baylor 70-50
Elite Eight: def. Florida 77-70
WATCH: South Carolina-Gonzaga breakdown
(1) North Carolina vs. (3) Oregon, Approx. 8:49 p.m. (Live Stream)
North Carolina’s path
1st round: def. Texas Southern 103-64
2nd round: def. Arkansas 72-65
Sweet 16: def. Butler 92-80
Elite Eight: def. Kentucky 75-73
Oregon’s path
1st round: def. Iona 93-77
2nd round: def. Rhode Island 75-72
Sweet 16: def. Michigan 69-68
Elite Eight: def. Kansas 74-60
WATCH: Oregon-North Carolina breakdown
Each one might not be here if ...
Gonzaga: The Zags survived what arguably is the most controversial call of the tournament, the now infamous non-goaltending call vs. Northwestern in the Round of 32, when the Zags’ Zach Collins blocked Derek Pardon’s shot. One problem, Collins poked his hand through the rim to block the shot, leading the NCAA to admit the officiating error with 4:54 left and Gonzaga leading by five but the Wildcats on a run. The ensuing techincal foul on Northwestern coach Chris Collins and four-point swing turned momentum back Gonzaga’s way, and the Bulldogs have not looked back.
South Carolina: The Gamecocks, really, haven’t had a close call in this tournament. They’ve been the better team in all four wins, including their upset of 2-seed Duke, the team many had winning this whole thing, in the second round. Coming into the tournament South Carolina was a superb defensive team, that, at times, could have trouble scoring. That has not been the case through four rounds, however, as the Gamecocks are scoring 1.2 point per possession -- a solid, if not great, number. That probably needs to keep up, though their defense is certainly capable of carrying the lead, as it did in completely shutting down Baylor and, to a large degree, Florida.
North Carolina: This one’s easy. If Kentucky manages to defend Luke Maye in transition after Malik Monk’s game-tying 3, we could easily be talking about John Calipari and the Wildcats as the lone blueblood in this Final Four. UNC has actually had two close calls, as Arkansas pushed them to the limit in the second round and even Butler threatened to make a late charge in the Sweet 16. We haven’t seen the best UNC can be yet, which is either scary, or a source of optimism for Oregon.
Oregon: Tyler Dorsey and Jordan Bell -- the latter of which has been truly remarkable. Dillon Brooks is the Pac-12 Player of the Year, and he’s been solid. But there is no way Oregon is here without Dorsey and Bell. The Ducks present matchup problems all over the floor with these two guys and Brooks.
Check out SportsLine to see how the Vegas pros are betting on Saturday’s games
Best Prop Bets
First team to score 10-plus points: South Carolina +125, Gonzaga -145
South Carolina’s hot-streak has boomed in this particular category. In three of their four NCAA Tournament games, the Gamecocks were first to 10 by an aggregate total of 13 points, according to SportsLine data. Duke is the only team that beat it to 10, a game it won by seven points.
Largest lead by either team: 15.5 points (Over -110, Under -110)
This is a bit more risky. Gonzaga has absolutely dominated this season, but it’s important to keep in mind the level of competition in the WCC isn’t quite what it will face against South Carolina. And in the tournament especially, it’s been a totally different winning style.
The Bulldogs have eked out a pair of wins to go with a first-round blowout and a shellacking of Xavier. With South Carolina’s defense, though, this is a toss-up. One SportsLine expert likes it to stay within that margin.
Total 3-point field goals between North Carolina and Oregon: 15
Via SportsLine, each team is averaging right around 15 3s per game in the NCAA Tournament. But one important note: Oregon hit 11 3-pointers in its win over Kansas in the Elite Eight.
You can view the full list of prop bets for North Carolina vs. Oregon on SportsLine by clicking the link here.
WATCH: Bracket breakdown, Final Four picks
Coaching comparisons
The Vet: North Carolina’s Roy Williams, a Naismith Memorial Hall of Famer, is coaching in his ninth Final Four -- which is more than everybody in history except for John Wooden (12), Mike Krzyzewski (12) and Dean Smith (11). If Williams wins the national title, he’ll become only the sixth coach to win at least three national championships. The five coaches currently ahead of Williams are John Wooden (10), Mike Krzyzewski (5), Adolph Rupp (3), Bob Knight (3) and Jim Calhoun (3).
The No-So-Vets: The other coaches have climbed the Final Four mountain for the first time. Gonzaga’s Mark Few, South Carolina’s Frank Martin and Oregon’s Dana Altman are now on the list of men who have made a Final Four. Few or Martin will make the national title game -- meaning a first-time Final Four coach will spend next Monday playing for the biggest trophy in the sport. Fun stuff.
Final Four Power Rankings
Before the final go-round, Matt Norlander took on the challenge of re-seeding the Final Four, and it went like this:
1. Gonzaga (36-1), West No. 1 seed: No reason to move Gonzaga from the top spot, which is exactly where I put it Selection Sunday. It has been the nation’s highest-rated team in advanced-metrics rankings systems for more than a month. Gonzaga also is the odds-on favorite to win at multiple major sports books in Las Vegas. The Bulldogs’ loss total seems to have been forgotten, which is odd. You can count on one hand the number of teams in the past decade to make a Final Four with only one loss. Mark Few’s had some really nice Gonzaga teams, but this one is far and away the best.
WATCH: Gonzaga’s X-factor
2. Oregon (33-5), Midwest No. 3 seed: The Ducks were a smidge lucky in beating Rhode Island, got past Michigan in the Sweet 16 as Derrick Walton Jr. missed a good-look 3. But the way Oregon took apart Kansas, combined with the hot streak Tyler Dorsey is riding as we still wait for Dillon Brooks, the Pac-12 Player of the Year, to break out -- the Ducks have the experience and athleticism to beat North Carolina.
WATCH: Who’s Oregon’s difference maker?
3. North Carolina (31-7), South’s No. 1 seed: If Carolina is No. 3, don’t let anyone tell you this Final Four is weak or underwhelming. UNC has the country’s No. 6 offense, scoring 121.1 points per 100 possessions, according to KenPom. That’s the best team of any in the Final Four. The defense ranks 18th overall. UNC is a killer on the offense boards, but has dominant and lackluster spurts. I do wonder about the health of Joel Berry. That being a question mark, I suppose, is the biggest reason why the Heels dip below Oregon.
WATCH: Berry’s health key for UNC
4. South Carolina (26-10), East’s No. 7 seed: That leaves the Gamecocks, and no doubt Frank Martin prefers it that way. Ironically, the Gamecocks have the tournament MOP so far. Senior stud Thornwell is the best two-way player in the country at this point. No one works as hard or is asked to do as much at the defensive end, then goes out and drops 20-plus while being guarded by the other team’s top defender. South Carolina turns teams over -- by a massive margin -- better than any team in the Final Four, but still the weakest among a diverse quartet.
WATCH: Gamecocks need more than Thornwell
A Sindarius by this name is a stud
Matt Norlander ranked the 20 starters in the Final Four, and if you want a sneak peek, here’s Norlander’s take on South Carolina’s Sindarius Thornwell, who made our starting five --
If you want to make the case for the best-named player in this Final Four (Gonzaga’s Killian Tillie takes second; UNC’s Seventh Woods wins the bronze) as the best player in this Final Four, you have a great case. Thornwell is, by far, the foremost reliable player on both ends of the floor. He is tasked with guarding the other team’s best player, then has to go average 21.6 points while being guarded by the other team’s best defender. His perimeter work on the defensive end (2.2 steals) is all guts, and he still makes time to average three assists in addition to seven rebounds. He’s so confident operating in traffic you’d think he’d survive an avalanche.
Who are we picking?
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Check out SportsLine to see how the Vegas pros are betting on Saturday’s games
