Final Four PreviewBy: David Ray

#2 Villanova vs. #2 Oklahoma

Buddy Hield has continued his superb senior season by leading his Oklahoma Sooners past #1 seeded Oregon to land a spot in the Final 4. After jumping out to an 18 point halftime lead against the Ducks, the Sooners simply held them off for the remaining 20 minutes. With the exception of a close game against VCU in the round of 32, Oklahoma has been steam rolling opponents by double digits, while Hield is scoring at a rate of 29.25 per game. Going into a matchup against Villanova, Lon Kruger’s squad has only failed to top 80 points once, and have gotten great performances along the way.  Jordan Woodard has emerged as OU’s 2nd most potent long range option. Point guard Isaiah Cousins is averaging 7.5 assists per game over the last two Sooner victories, and isn’t exactly a slouch from deep in his own right. Oklahoma’s three headed monster of a guard lineup with Ryan Spangler and Khadeem Lattin manning the block have arrived in Houston, but a tough Villanova squad awaits after knocking off the tournament’s #1 overall seed just a week ago.

Jay Wright’s Wildcats, a team once ranked #1 in the nation, are coming off a gritty performance against Kansas. The Wildcats coming off a 33-5 season are proving that they did deserve a 1 seed after all. They rolled through their first three rounds off great shooting, and then when faced with a slower paced Kansas game in which buckets were a premium, they simply out fought and dialed up their intensity in a back and forth game against the top seeded Jayhawks. Kris Jenkins has provided both great shooting and great leadership. In the early rounds he let his shooting do the talking, but his intensity last Saturday was truly a difference maker in Nova’s win. Ryan Archidiacono is clutch shooter, and Villanova’s balanced attack has truly been a force to be reckoned with. Both teams are capable of putting up points in a hurry, and if Nova and OU are on this could be a barnburner.

#1 North Carolina vs. #10 Syracuse

For the third time this season North Carolina and Syracuse will face off, but this time the stakes are much higher than ACC bragging rights. North Carolina has been on a tear, and have established themselves as the favorite this weekend. Led by seniors Marcus Paige and Brice Johnson, Roy Williams’ Tarheels have knocked out Florida Gulf Coast, Providence, Indiana, and Notre Dame, all in impressive fashion. UNC is big, fast, and after hanging 101 points on Indiana in the Sweet 16, look like a real force to be reckoned. They have the luxury of size in Johnson, Kennedy Meeks, and Isaiah Hicks, as well as a stellar back court with Joel Berry II lining up to Paige. It’s hard to beat any team three times in the same year, but if any squad left in the field is capable of doing so, it’s the Tarheels.

Jim Boeheim has coached his team from the NCAA tourbament bubble to the Final 4, and it’s shaping up to be one of his most impressive performances on the bench in his 40 plus years at Syracuse. Lead by the experience of senior Michael Gbinije, and the raw ability of Malachi Richardson, the Orange have played Boeheim’s typical style and had great success behind their zone. After two blowouts, the Orange grinded out close games with Gonzaga and Virginia, and impressively have only allowed an average of 55.75 points per contest in the tournament. As dominant as the Tarheels have been, Syracuse has played them twice and are quite familiar with them as conference mates. While UNC may have taken the first two matches, it’s safe to say this Syracuse team is a totally different team than the one limping down the stretch of the regular season.

Championship Prediction

After choosing a Texas A&M Final 4 birth on my thoroughly busted bracket, I’ve learned not to pick against Buddy Hield. I feel the Sooners advance over Villanova, and end up facing North Carolina in the Championship game. While the Tarheels appear to be the favorite, I feel their run and gun style doesn’t matchup well with Oklahoma’s sharp shooting. Roy Williams’ pace would let OU play their game, and result in this shining moment playing with Buddy Hield standing on the ladder flashing his trademark smile.