We started with 68 teams two weeks ago and now we are down to the Final Four.
It’ll be South Carolina vs. Gonzaga in the first semifinal at 6:09 p.m. ET on Saturday in Phoenix followed by Oregon vs. North Carolina at 8:49 p.m. Both are CBS, as is the NCAA title game on Monday, April 3.
South Carolina and Gonzaga are making their first appearance in the Final Four. Oregon is in the national semifinals for the first time since the first NCAA Tournament in 1939 and North Carolina is making its NCAA-leading 20th appearance.
Bill Reiter
Final Four: South Carolina over Gonzaga, North Carolina over Oregon
Championship: North Carolina over South Carolina
In a grueling, grinding matchup, UNC avenges last year’s loss and the heartbreak of a last-second defeat, this time against a South Carolina team possessed with the spirit of Cinderella. But that’s not enough and the blue-blood program takes home the championship despite the country rooting for the underdog.
Gary Parrish
Final Four: Gonzaga over South Carolina, North Carolina over Oregon
Championship: Gonzaga over North Carolina
Gonzaga and North Carolina are both teams I’ve had on my short list of legitimate national-title contenders for months. So I’m not surprised they’re likely to meet in Monday’s national championship game. The Zags and Tar Heels each rank in the top 20 in offensive and defensive efficiency, which suggests there’s nothing fluky about them. And though I believe North Carolina is the more talented team, I think Gonzaga is the better team. Not by much. Again, I really like both of these teams. But only one can win the national championship, and I’m going with Mark Few’s Zags, who have lost just once all season. Gonzaga has the size to match North Carolina in the frontcourt -- even if the Tar Heels are much bigger on the wings. And I’ll trust the nation’s best defense to frustrate North Carolina enough to bring a national championship back to the West Coast Conference.
Matt Norlander
Final Four: Gonzaga over South Carolina, Oregon over North Carolina
Championship: Gonzaga over Oregon
A Pacific Northwest special in the final. Oregon, which played won the very first national title game, goes 78 years between national semifinal appearances. But Gonzaga, the best team in college basketball, cuts down the nets and Mark Few makes his case to eventually be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame. Gonzaga’s only lost once, and the large reason for that is because of its age and personnel. Gonzaga does not beat itself, and it has rock-steady talent. Nigel Williams-Goss plays up to his All-American billing, while Tyler Dorsey’s hot streak in this tournament comes to a halt. Gonzaga’s size neutralizes Oregon’s effectiveness inside. The Bulldogs are a better team than Oregon, and it will show in the form of a firm victory. Close, but not that close. And so in the year Few finally breaks his Final Four ceiling, he will also make history by getting Gonzaga its first national title.
Chip Patterson
Final Four: Gonzaga over South Carolina, North Carolina over Oregon
Championship: North Carolina over Gonzaga
Roy Williams’ ninth Final Four has the chance to be one of his most memorable, a testament to the values “get old and stay old” in a one-and-done era. Kennedy Meeks, Isaiah Hicks and yes, even Luke Maye, have been in this position before and seem ready. Arkansas and Kentucky held late leads against these Tar Heels only to lose, as UNC’s resiliency, more than its offensive rebounding or deep bench, has seemed to power them to this Final Four.
Joel Berry’s health is an issue worth monitoring, and they’ve got no chance to beat Oregon if Justin Jackson goes cold in the semifinals, but right now there’s not another team that I’d bet on to end up as the champion in Phoenix. Berry’s going to play through whatever ails him and North Carolina’s overall length and size down low has been good enough to keep them in the game through offensive droughts. South Carolina and Gonzaga present very daunting challenges with their defense, but neither team can run with the Tar Heels for 40 minutes.
Kyle Boone
Final Four: Gonzaga over South Carolina, North Carolina over Oregon
Championship: North Carolina over Gonzaga
No team had a more difficult region than North Carolina, with Kentucky, UCLA and Butler in the South Region of doom. The Tar Heels passed tight tests against Arkansas and Kentucky, handled Texas Southern and Butler, and have the experience needed to hoist the hardware. Every starter is a junior or senior for Roy Williams, meaning they all suffered heart break after coming up seconds short of a national championship last season. This team is battle tested and has weathered some storms to get back to this point. I think Roy gets his third title at UNC, beating Gonzaga in the title game.
Dennis Dodd
Final Four: Gonzaga over South Carolina, North Carolina over Oregon
Championship: North Carolina over Gonzaga
North Carolina and the Three Dwarfs. That’s the temptation to call this Final Four. The Tar Heels are calling this season a redemption tour. The memory of Kris Jenkins’ winning shot last year is still seared into their minds. Unless there is another Jenkins out there for Gonzaga, this national title is North Carolina’s. The Heels are loaded and motivated. When you’ve got a preferred walk-on coming off the bench to push you through, you know things are going right. At age 66 and not slowing down, Roy Williams’ wins his third national championship. That’s because his high-flying Heels just keeps speeding up.
Howard Megdal
Final Four: Gonzaga over South Carolina, North Carolina over Oregon
Championship: Gonzaga over North Carolina
Expect another high-level championship game akin to last year’s. These two have proven themselves to be the nation’s two best teams, not just a pair who got on a roll in March. But it is time for Mark Few to crown the long-term project he’s built in Spokane, the model for mid-majors with good reason, with the championship that loomed as the lone talking point against his incredible program.