2016 NCAA Tournament: Final Four Preview
Here we are! The Final Four! Only one number one seed made it to Houston after all four made it to the regional finals. Who will advance to the National Championship game on Monday? Let’s take a look!
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I went 8-4 in last weekend’s games, pushing my tournament total to 38-22. Decent numbers, but still not where I wanted to be. I wanted to get at least 40 right. I need to go 3-0 this weekend!
(2)Villanova vs. (2)Oklahoma:
Both of these teams were candidates for number one seeds before being bounced in their conference tournaments. Villanova’s zone frustrated Kansas, and they will try to do the same to the Sooners. The problem is that the Sooners beat them by 23 back in December.
Oregon took the wrong approach to guarding Buddy Hield. Villanova won’t make that mistake. Hield only had 18 points against Villanova in the first meeting – seven below his season average. Villanova needs to do that again to have a chance.
This is not the same Villanova team that Oklahoma smoked over three months ago. Daniel Ochefu can neutralize Spangler in the paint. He will need to be an offensive force as well, but Khadeem Lattin has been a defensive monster all tournament long.
I expect Villanova to keep this much closer than it was in December, but I don’t see where they improved 24 points since then.
Pick: Oklahoma
(1)North Carolina vs. (10)Syracuse:
North Carolina didn’t make as short of work of Notre Dame as they did in the ACC Tournament, but it still wasn’t all that close. The Tarheels have peaked at the right time. Syracuse became the first 10 seed to reach the Final Four after their zone frustrated Virginia. Syracuse controlled the game in the second half, erasing a 14 point halftime deficit.
Syracuse’s zone will try to frustrate Carolina, but the Tarheels have too much talent to let it get to them. The problem? The Heels beat the Orange twice during the regular season. You know the old adage: you can’t beat a good team three times in one season. Is Syracuse a good team? They have proven with their tournament run so far that they are.
That said, North Carolina has played better than anyone over the last month. The Orange may be able to keep it close, but I just don’t see them winning.
Pick: North Carolina
Next: NBA DraftKings Picks For April 2
Good luck in the rest of your round by round picks! Stay tuned for the rest of the baseball previews team by team!
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