Final Four Picks

Well it’s that time of year, our brackets are busted and a team that no one thought would make it out of the first round is in the Final Four. The craziness is what we love about college basketball but also what we hate. Seeding no longer matters, it’s about guts, determination, and the will to win a championship.

Zack Herink

#10 Syracuse vs. #1 North Carolina

            This game is the easier one to pick because there is an obvious winner. Then again, that’s what we’ve thought about every team who plays the Orange. The Orange have nobody but they keep winning and North Carolina has everyone and they keep winning, so I guess I’ll throw the players out the window and look at the coaches. Both the coaches are fantastic, great, now what do I look at? Oh well, I’m going to have to make the logical decision and pick the better team.

My Pick: N. Carolina 74 Syracuse 66

#2 Villanova vs #2 Oklahoma

My Villanova trashing has caught up with me it seems like. They have finally proved themselves to be a basketball team that tries in the tournament. On the other hand Oklahoma doesn’t get chances that often so they’ll be going all out to win. This is another toss up because both teams live and die from the 3-Point line. I’ll pick the team with the better shooter.

My Pick: Villanova 80 Oklahoma 90

Daniel McHale

#10 Syracuse vs. #1 North Carolina

This is an easy pick and anyone that thinks Syracuse has even the slightest chance of beating UNC is probably a crazy person. Syracuse shouldn’t even be in the tournament at all because the Orange had a horrible season this year. The only games they won were against terrible teams, and the games against noteworthy teams all ended in losses. Syracuse lost in the first round of the ACC tournament, and it is a flat out miracle that they beat Virginia on Easter. That team is going to be stomped on all over by the future national champions, UNC.

My Pick: UNC 77-Syracuse 64

#2 Villanova vs. #2 Oklahoma

This game is definitely a lot tougher to predict. Both teams were number one in the AP polls at some point this season, and have played amazing games. Earlier this year I hate some pretty strong hate going for Villanova, but over the course of the last couple of weeks I have realized the errors of my ways. I think Villanova is going to win because they’re the better team by a small margin. However, if Oklahoma did end up winning, I wouldn’t be surprised at all.

My Pick: Villanova 73-Oklahoma 70

Tucker Strycharz

#10 Syracuse vs. #1 North Carolina

What else did we expect from a Jim Boeheim coached team in March? The Orange were not even supposed to make it into the tournament but they have once again flipped the switch in the midst of they madness. The North Carolina Tar Heels are praying that the red hot Syracuse we saw last weekend misses the bus to Houston, because this one could be an upset waiting to happen.

Senior point guard Michael Gbinije’s name may be intimidating to say, but it is defiantly worth learning before Saturday’s game. Gbinije is the driving force behind Syracuse’s run, leading the on both the offensive and defensive ends.

Thankfully for the Tar Heels, they have one of the best defensive point guards in the country in Marcus Paige. At the ACC championship Paige proved his worth, forcing Virginia’s All-American point guard Malcolm Brogden to go 6/22 from the field and leading to a Carolina win.  Paige will have to put on a similar performance if he wants to slow down Gbinije.

On the other hand, that still might not be enough, Gbinije is surrounded by talented scorers including Malachi Richardson who put up 23 points including three straight threes in the closing minutes of last week’s game that pushed ten seed Cuse past one seed Virginia in the elite eight.

The battle on the boards will be worth watching, as two of the most athletic rebounders in basketball go head to head. Both Tyler Roberson and Brice Johnson average 10 rebounds a game and need to replicate that on Saturday.

Roberson is one of the most underrated players in the country. He is a monster on the defensive end, combining length with athleticism. He never stops fighting for loose balls, showing an unprecedented amount of hustle on every play. However, this can get him into foul trouble which puts the Orange in a tough spot. If Roberson can limit his personal fouls, he will have a huge impact on this game.

Johnson is also a dangerous scorer who averages 21 points per game, but Syracuse’s difference maker lies in their extremely active 2-3 zone that wreaks havoc on teams that rely on feeding their big men in the lane and it can also irritate very good three point shooters.

The result of this game will come down to UNC’s ability to pass effectively into Syracuse’s zone and slow the game down by not turning the ball over. The key to success for the Tar Heels is if they can use their extremely deep bench to get the Syracuse starters into foul trouble and force them to play their relatively inexperienced bench.

Prediction: Syracuse by 2

Everyone is raving about how the Tar Heels are the hottest team in the tournament and while that may be true, they will not be able to shoot anywhere near as well as they have in the past few games. The Syracuse zone will take Carolina’s stars out of the game and force them to make bad passes. Expect Syracuse’s Cinderella story to survive another game.

#2 Villanova vs. #2 Oklahoma

After both teams upset their respective number one seed, Villanova and Oklahoma are looking better than ever. This matchup will be everything it has been hyped up to be, a high scoring game that will probably end up going to the team who gets off the last shot.

Oklahoma has been putting up ridiculous numbers from the field. Led by their trio of sharpshooting guards, Oklahoma could not be coming into this game any hotter. Buddy Heild, Jordan Woodard, and Isaiah Cousins combined for 12 three pointers and 61 out the Sooner’s 80 points last game against Oregon. If they continue to shoot that well, the Golden State Warriors wouldn’t be able to stop them.
On the other hand, Villanova proved last week that they are not scared of anybody as they knocked off the tournament’s number one seed, Kansas. Their success has rested on their ability to get defensive stops and great passing on the offensive end. Even when their star player, Kris Jenkins, underperforms, the wildcats have proved that they can still pull out a gritty win.

Villinova’s chances are greatly increased if Kris Jenkins can find his rhythm again. The junior forward put up 35 against Miami, going 5/6 from three point range. But against Kansas, he got in early foul trouble and seemed out of sync, missing six of his seven three point attempts. He will need to fix this to compete with Oklahoma’s three point barrage.

Ryan Archidaicono runs the show for the wildcats. He brings the fire needed to rally his teammates to a big win. The senior has plenty of tournament experience and it will be on full display against Oklahoma.

Both teams in this game have the weapons to pull out the win, but Saturday’s opening game will come down to whoever’ star can shine brighter under the lights.

Prediction: Oklahoma by 3

It is not a good idea to bet against Buddy Heild. The senior will most likely be winning the Wooden award in the coming weeks and has not disappointed us in the tournament. Heild will continue his hot streak and prove why he is the best player in the country.