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NCAA Tournament 2017: Five best potential Final Four matchups

By Will Schreefer

Feb 25, 2017; Dallas, TX, USA; A view of the arena and the banner for the 2017 NCAA Women's Final Four game before the game between the Dallas Mavericks and the New Orleans Pelicans at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 25, 2017; Dallas, TX, USA; A view of the arena and the banner for the 2017 NCAA Women's Final Four game before the game between the Dallas Mavericks and the New Orleans Pelicans at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports /
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Before the Sweet 16 starts, looking forward to the best possible Final Four matchups.

Opening weekend of the NCAA tournament in the books, and it was yet another great one. After a bit of a sleepy first round, with upsets that mostly ranged from minor to expected, we got a doozy of a second round. Duke, Villanova, Louisville, and Florida State went down, and just about every other top seed besides Kansas could have lost their Round of 32 game. It was high-intensity basketball, probably best enjoyed by those who just want to watch the world burn.

Now that the sixty four teams that started the first round have been whittled down to sixteen, we’ve gained some clarity on the matchups that could be in front us. With just one double digit seed still remaining, we’ll be looking forward to nothing but quality, single-elimination basketball among a collection of very good teams.

But it’s really all about that Final weekend. Though those Sweet 16 and Elite Eight games are cute and nice to collect, where tournaments (and legacies) are really made are on the weekend that follows it. So after you catch up with all FanSided’s Sweet 16 coverage — go ahead, I’ll wait — let’s look forward to what could be waiting for us in the Final Four. We’re running down the best five potential Final Four matchups, and it starts now.

Mar 17, 2017; Tulsa, OK, USA; Kansas Jayhawks guard Josh Jackson (11) reacts during the first half against the UC Davis Aggies in the first round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament at BOK Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 17, 2017; Tulsa, OK, USA; Kansas Jayhawks guard Josh Jackson (11) reacts during the first half against the UC Davis Aggies in the first round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament at BOK Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports /

Kansas-North Carolina

Now that we’ve had our upsets and brackets across America are busted, it’s time to stop pretending we prefer the mayhem. March — and those final days in early April — are really about high-stakes, high-quality basketball where every second matters. And there’s no better matchup available in the Final Four than the one between No. 1 seeds Kansas and North Carolina.

With Villanova knocked off the top line in the East bracket, Kansas-North Carolina is our last chance for a game between this year’s best of the best — at least before the championship game. While it’d be amazing to see a Michigan, or Wisconsin, or Butler crash the party, it’s impossible to make an argument for these teams as one of the best in the country BEFORE they got hot in a single elimination tournament.

You can make that argument for both Kansas and North Carolina, though. En route to top seeds in their respective regions, Kansas and North Carolina were consistently among the best teams in the country. Kansas spent just one week outside the AP top-5 poll, and a number of weeks at the very top. Though North Carolina amassed a few more losses — and weeks outside the top 5 — they never dropped below 11th in the country in adjusted efficiency, and came into the tournament as top-3. Both teams are littered with talent and experience, among the most successful teams in recent tournament history, and are guided by two legendary college coaches in Bill Self and Roy Williams.

And even beyond the quality, it’s an excellent clash in styles. Kansas has, for once, adopted a guard-centric small ball approach, embracing offense at the (sort-of) expense of defense. Led by the ball-handling tandem of NPOTY favorite Frank Mason and Devonte Graham, Kansas is a top-5 offense in the country that hits over 40 percent of their 3-pointers. Josh Jackson adds lottery-caliber talent and versatility at the forward position, and everyone else knows and plays their roles to perfection.

North Carolina still favors bully ball, and plays almost exclusively with a two-man frontcourt of non-shooters. It…uh.. works, as they’ve pulled down 42.2 percent of available offensive rebounds and have the sixth-best offense in the country. Joel Berry and Justin Jackson handle offensive creation, and have put together – in tandem – some of the best 3-point shooting seasons North Carolina has ever seen.

Add in North Carolina’s redemption storyline, the recent tournament history between the two (Kansas has won their three NCAA meetings since 2008), and the fact that Bill Self is the man who replaced Roy Williams at Kansas, and this potential matchup is overflowing with fun.

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