Men’s Basketball Final Four Preview
The Oklahoma Sooners, Villanova Wildcats, North Carolina Tar Heels, and Syracuse Orange are this year’s representatives for the Men’s Final Four. The Final Four will be played in Houston, Texas at NRG Stadium on Saturday, April 2. The championship will be played the following Monday, April 4 at the same location. This year’s Final Four features a Cinderella in Syracuse as well as some powers like Villanova, Oklahoma, and North Carolina. Here are the previews of the match-ups.
Oklahoma vs. Villanova
This matchup features the number two seed out of the West (Oklahoma) against the number two seed out of the South (Villanova). Oklahoma defeated California State-Bakersfield, Virginia Commonwealth, Texas A&M, and Oregon on their way to the Final Four. Villanova defeated UNC Asheville, Iowa, Miami, and Kansas on their way to the Final Four. This matchup showcases two fantastic offenses. Both of the teams score at high rates and have proven senior leaders. Buddy Hield is arguably the best college basketball player this year. He is averaging over 25 points per game in the tournament, which is something not many players have done. Ryan Arcidiacono is the leader of Villanova, but has not quite had the tournament as Hield has had. He has a great supporting cast with upperclassmen Daniel Ochefu and Kris Jenkins. It should be a very entertaining game.
North Carolina vs. Syracuse
This matchup features the number one seed out of the East (North Carolina) against the number 10 seed out of the Midwest (Syracuse). Syracuse is the first double digit seed to make the Final Four since 2011 when Virginia Commonwealth did it. They are also only the fourth double digit all-time to make the Final Four. North Carolina defeated Florida Gulf Coast, Providence, Indiana, and Notre Dame on their way to the Final Four. Syracuse defeated Dayton, Middle Tennessee, Gonzaga, and Virginia on their way to the Final Four. On paper, this matchup looks like an easy win for North Carolina, but Syracuse has come to life in the tournament. Earlier this season, North Carolina defeated Syracuse 84–73 in Syracuse. It seems as though Syracuse is a new team right now and they will look to challenge North Carolina this Saturday. If Syracuse has any chance they will need to contain Brice Johnson and Marcus Paige of North Carolina. They will also need big games from Michael Gbinije, Malachi Richardson, and Trevor Cooney.
